If At First You Don't Succeed
by My Alternate Reality
Summary: What if this wasn't Chris's first trip back to the past, will history keep repeating itself?  Can you make new changes to affect the outcome?  If at first you don't succeed, try try again. Will contain mild language and corporal punishment **spanking**
1. Chapter 1

**If at First You Don't Succeed**

_Summary: What if this wasn't Chris's first trip back to the past, will history keep repeating itself? Can you make new changes to affect the outcome? If at first you don't succeed, try try again._

_A/N: I wanted to make a story that explored a bit of Wyatt and Chris relationship only with Wyatt being much more paternal. I was waiting for my muse to come up with a way to allow it. I did make a little change in the timeline to Wyatt's birth year; he is going to be born in 2002 (making the boys closer to 3 years apart in age rather than canon of not quite two years). My creative license allowed it (and my muse insisted). This story will contain corporal punishment (spanking) if you don't like that, please stop reading now. As usual, I don't own Charmed or its characters. I just took them out to play. I promise to put them back when I am done. On with the story…_

**Chapter 1**

**The Beginning… Again**

Year 2018

Piper lay on the floor gasping for breath. She didn't see the demon that hit her with the athame; she was in the house alone and her back was turned. She was going to die and she didn't have the strength to yell for help.

"Mom?" She heard her youngest child yell when the front door slammed shut. "You wouldn't believe the homework they want us to do!" He continued as if she had answered. "Why do we even need to learn about Shakespeare… MOM!" His conversation abruptly ended with the screaming of her name. Chris ran across the floor and fell to his knees beside his mother. "Mom, no. No, stay with me. DAD!" He was crying as he said the words and called for his father.

"Peanut, it's ok. It's too late for that now, listen to me…" Piper weakly said.

But Chris wasn't listening, "Mom, stay with me. WYATT…" He was sobbing now.

Piper needed to tell him everything, but there wasn't time; "I love you…" she began.

"I love you too, Mom, but don't talk, you're going to be fine. DAD, WYATT, please…"

Piper began again, "I love you and I don't want to leave but you need to know…" She coughed out. He raised his hands over her in an attempt to heal her. Piper tried to grab his hands but lacked the strength, "We were wrong…" She took a deep breath in trying to live long enough.

Chris dropped his hands and lifted his mother to his chest rocking her and sobbing, "I can't… I can't heal, I'm so sorry Mom. Dad, please, Mom needs you." Chris was no longer yelling for help his strangled sobs not allowing the voice to go any louder.

Piper raised her hand to touch Chris's face and tried to continue, "It wasn't just Gid…" Coughing interrupted her again. She knew this breath she pulled in would be her last and she finished by saying, "Always loved you… never… never forget…" and with that she was gone.

"NOOOOO!" Chris screamed as he felt the life leave her body. "Please, Mom, don't go, don't leave me…"

Wyatt orbed into the manor. As soon as he formed he began yelling for his brother, "Chris, I swear if you told Mom that I went to the underworld…" His speech stopped as he looked in horror at the scene before him. "Oh my God, MOM…" He raced over, fell to his knees and raised his hands to heal his mother. Nothing happened, no glow, no healing, he was too late. Wyatt met his brother's eyes, "She's gone…"

Wyatt stood and felt his sadness turn to anger burning within him. He needed to kill these demons. He was the twice blessed; he should have had the power to stop this from happening. He looked back down to his brother and knew he couldn't leave him alone but there was no way he could stay. "DAD!" he yelled out. No one came. He had to go and vanquish this demon. He had to go and vanquish LOTS of demons. He orbed out of the room.

Two minutes later he orbed back with his father. "Wyatt, that was an important meeting, there is a reason that all senses were put on mute! You know you aren't allowed to just…" Leo stopped his tirade mid-sentence and looked at what his son was focused on. Leo's world came to a crashing halt, "Piper…" he whispered.

Wyatt orbed out of the room, he had to find the demons. Nothing was going to stop him from protecting his family ever again.

Leo reached out to Chris and helped him up. He went to hug and hold him but Chris lashed out. "No… you don't even know me!" With those words he pushed Leo away violently with his telekinesis, "You were never there for me before, what makes you think you can be here now!" He shouted to his father then orbed out of the room. Leo walked back over to Piper and crumpled on the floor beside her, gently cradling her body to his he orbed away.

No one saw the lone figure hiding in the doorway to the other room. Her hand was over her mouth to cover the silent sobs that the scene before her drew out. This couldn't be happening! This had to change. She needed more answers…

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

July 2004

Piper sat on the edge of the tub holding a plastic cylinder in her hand. She wasn't looking at it, no, her mind was far off. There was no one that was going to disturb her thoughts, Wyatt was sleeping, Chris was down in the underworld and her sisters were off living their own lives in their own homes. She closed her eyes to ward off the tears that threatened to fall. She could still see Leo's face as they said their goodbyes. After the incident that lead them to the ghostly plane they made the decision that Leo was going to go up to Elderland full time. He felt his being on Earth put his family at too great a risk. She didn't want him to go but looking into his eyes she knew he had already made up his mind. He could be just as stubborn as her when it came to the safety of his family and he felt this would be the only way to protect them. It broke his heart to leave her and Wyatt but he had to keep them safe, no matter what it cost him.

Their last night together wasn't supposed to be goodbye. Their shared passion should have ushered in a new beginning to their relationship. It should have strengthened their marriage not be the thing that dissolved it. Even as they said goodbye she never dreamed she could be carrying a piece of him within her. They had such a hard time conceiving Wyatt; she never thought she would be fortunate enough to have another baby. She opened her eyes and looked down at the test. Two lines. An entire world altering statement made with two pink lines. The tears fell down her face. How was she going to handle two magical children alone? She gave herself a moment to grieve the life she couldn't have. This should be a celebration. She was going to have another baby, a little sister or brother for Wyatt. She should have been able to announce this wonderful news to everyone and they could share her joy! She could call for Leo and watch his face the moment the exciting truth fully hit him. She placed her hand on her stomach protectively. No, that was something she couldn't do. She could never tell Leo that he had to abandon another child. He had a hard enough time just leaving Wyatt. She reached up and dried off her tears roughly. Time for grieving was over. This baby needed her to be strong! She would do her best to give this child everything it needed to thrive in this world.

She heard the jingling of orbs and she stood up hastily.

"Piper?" she heard Chris yell.

She threw the test into the trash can, then reached down and rearranged the garbage so that the plastic cylinder was hidden.

"I'll be down in a second," she replied. She turned to face herself in the mirror to fix her makeup. No need to worry Chris over this, he had enough on his plate without worrying about Wyatt's siblings too. 'Oh God,' she thought. 'I am having another child that will be raised in that awful world Chris described.' Chris had never mentioned that Wyatt had a brother or sister. They must have changed the timeline. Chris probably didn't know that Wyatt was not going to be an only child! All the pain and terror that her beautiful baby had inflicted upon the world and she might have just doubled it! What if this baby was evil too? No! That was NOT going to happen. She knew she would do anything it took to keep Wyatt from turning evil; but now with two children to protect? She would sell her soul to keep her babies safe.

With that final thought she held her head high and straightened out her shoulders. She would find a way to protect these children. She felt stronger about protecting Wyatt than ever before. She had a new determination and stubbornness flowing through her to her very core. Now she recognized the source of those new feelings. She patted her hand on her belly and whispered "your even stubborn in the womb, aren't you my little peanut." She smiled as she thought about people who said how each pregnancy was different. She always thought those people were exaggerating. Now she knew better. With Wyatt she could feel his magic, with little Peanut she could feel the strength of his or her character. Now that she had an outlet for those unusually strong feelings she knew just what she was going to do. She would save Wyatt and create a future for her children. Nothing and no one was going to stop her. She had to do this one alone, even though it went against every fiber of her being. This new strength she felt was showing her she could and must do it without the interference of others. She wasn't sure just yet what she had to do; she just knew she would succeed.

With that last thought she pushed out of the bathroom and headed down to the kitchen. Upon hearing her, Chris started to explain his latest plan, "I have a new lead on the Dracor demon…" He paused as he took a better look at her. "Are you ok?" He asked.

Piper pasted on a well perfected, 'I am the oldest sister and you don't need to worry about me' grin and said, "Of course, now what is a Dracor demon?"

Chris's eyes narrowed at the smile and the 'I'm fine' type of comment but when the demon was brought up he was side tracked and began a quick list of characteristics. "In the future, Dracor demons are one of the Source's strongest…"

Piper let his words fall right through her. Her mind was too busy thinking of ways to save her son before her next child was even born. She thought back through all the things they had already tried. Chris had been attempting to eradicate every demon that could possibly pose a risk; so far that wasn't working. She needed to know what they had tried in the past or future (or whatever) to figure out the threat. She was answering Chris with the appropriate nods for him to continue his monologue but her mind was racing. Chris would never tell her about his past, 'future consequences' being his motto. So if he wasn't going to do it willingly then she was going to have to find another way. She needed to be careful; he couldn't know what she was doing. She wasn't going to be able to ask her sisters for help; Phoebe couldn't keep a secret if her life depended upon it. And if she couldn't ask Phoebe then she wouldn't dare go to only one sister. No, she needed to do this on her own.

She felt a light flutter in her stomach. 'Oh my God, was that the baby?' she thought as she reached down to touch her belly. Chris had his back turned to her as he was making some coffee for them while he continued with his speech. How far along was she? She blinked back some surprised tears as she realized it had been months since the ghostly plane. She hadn't paid attention to her missing period until recently. She glanced at the calendar and started to do the math. She was sixteen weeks pregnant! How did she miss this? Sure she had been sick a few times but figured that was just a bug or something.

"Piper, are you even listening to me?" She heard Chris ask.

She blinked and focused in on him again, "I'm sorry, I didn't sleep well. What were you saying?"

Chris gave her an assessing stare and with a mental shrug said, "I asked what you thought of the plan." Piper stared and thought, 'oh crap, what plan?' but lucky for her Chris continued, "If I get Paige to help me out with the potion, you can stay here with Wyatt and if I need backup I can get Phoebe."

Well, that worked out great. The last thing she felt like doing right now was traipsing around the underworld. She had things to do; plans to make! "Sounds good to me." She said as she took her cup of coffee and set it in the sink. The baby could probably use less caffeine than she had already been supplying it with. Chris watched but said nothing. Instead he went about gathering the ingredients needed for the potion and orbed to Paige.

Piper let out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding. That was close. If she had any intentions on keeping this pregnancy a secret for as long as possible then she had do a better job paying attention. Chris was unusually observant and would pick up on this behavior. She turned and headed to the attic to consult the Book of Shadows.

When she reached the book she laid her hands on it and looked up and quietly willed her ancestors to help her. She opened the cover and watched as it quickly flipped pages until it stopped on a beginning page of how to write spells. She scrunched her eyes trying to figure out what that could mean when the book began to flip again. This time it landed on the time travel spell. Piper barely had time to read the title when the book began to flip through the pages once more. It paused on a truth spell. Just before she could reach out to touch the words the book suddenly closed and dropped to the floor.

Well that was weird! She ran back through what just happened. The book had just told her how to do what needed to be done. She needed to work out all the details but essentially she had to write her own spells. This was going to take time. Truth spells could backfire so easily, it had to be worded so carefully and time travel? Where was she supposed to even go? What questions needed to be asked and to whom? She was really going to have to think this through and she didn't have very long to do it! This baby would be born in six months and she was determined to give it a future he or she deserved!

TBC

_**A/N: Thank you for reading and please review if you liked it. Reviews are like cookies... Feed the muse :)**_


	2. Future Consequences

_**A/N: I know it has a slow start, but it gets better fast (and the chapters get a bit longer). Give it a shot!**_

**Chapter 2**

**Future Consequences**

October 2004

Piper looked around the attic; everything was in place. She lit the last candle and she stood in the middle of the circle. She placed her hand on her swollen belly and said, "We will find out what turned your brother. I will fix this, Peanut." Everything had been worked out. She had the spell she would need to get her to the future and Wyatt was at Shelia's. It had taken her months to figure out what she needed to do to find out what happened to Wyatt. In the end she came up with a simple spell to point her in the right direction.

Time was getting close to the birth of the new baby. She rubbed her stomach again and couldn't believe that no one had noticed. She wore a bunch of jackets and bigger shirts but she guessed she was just carrying this baby differently. She smiled and decided that it must be a girl. Everything about this pregnancy was different. Hmm, she thought, the only one that gave any indication of knowing that she was pregnant had been Chris. He had her go on less demon hunts and seemed more protective of her. She hadn't given it much thought at the time. He was always saying that she needed to watch Wyatt. She figured it was best to keep an extra set of eyes on the boy since he was the one they were protecting. Besides, she was protecting so much more right now that she didn't fight it. Piper smiled and wondered if Chris knew she was pregnant. There was no way to ask without giving away the fact that she was. If he didn't know then asking would tell him so. A general question about future children would only result in a 'future consequences' answer. Ah, well, she would know more soon.

Piper took the paper out of her pocket and said the words:

Charmed power of three manifested in one

By the power of this mother's love for her son

Show me what triggered the turn from light

Of the twice blessed child's path to right

Piper watched as the white and gold lights surrounded her and transported her to another time and place. When the color returned to her world she realized she was standing in the manor. Before she had time to consider when exactly she was, she heard a voice yell out, "Mom?"

Wait, she knew that voice! That was Chris's voice! Why was his mother here? Well they were friends; Chris had said she did save his mother sometime in the future. She missed the rest of his sentence while she was lost in her own thoughts but snapped back when she heard him scream, "MOM!"

She ran towards the voice but stopped in the doorway as she watched a young Chris crumple before an older her. An older, bleeding on the floor… her. She put her hand to her mouth as realization crept in.

"Mom, no. No, stay with me, DAD!" Chris cried out.

Younger Piper's tears rolled down her face.

"Peanut, it's ok. It's too late for that now, listen to me…" She heard her older self say. Her hand went to her stomach, 'Peanut', oh my God, that is what she had been calling this baby! That meant that she was carrying Chris right now. She was carrying his tiny baby self as his older self watched her die! Oh no! This wasn't what was going to happen!

Again she missed what Chris had been yelling out but caught the last of it, "I love you too, Mom, but don't talk, you're going to be fine, DAD, WYATT, please…" She heard Chris all but scream.

'Why weren't they answering him,' she thought but then her very next thought melted her heart; he loved her. She had been so mean to him and he LOVED her! Oh God, her poor baby! She thought she was going to be sick as the silent sobs wreaked her body. She had to get control of herself! She was here for a reason! This wasn't going to happen. Her baby wouldn't watch her die like that!

She focused herself again as she saw Chris raise his hands in a futile effort to heal her. She strained to hear the whispered words from her older self; "We were wrong…" a deep cough interrupted the sentence.

She heard Chris's frantic sobs as he picked the dying Piper up to his chest and rocked her saying, "I can't… I can't heal, I'm so sorry Mom. Dad, please, Mom needs you."

Tears threatened to overcome the younger Piper again as she looked on. She watched as a hand was lifted to touch Chris's face and heard the older Witch say, "It wasn't just Gid…" but coughing interrupted again. She felt her own eyes tighten at the statement. There was something here that was important. Her older self knew something!

Her musing made her miss the final words uttered but Chris's scream startled her back to reality, "NOOOOO! Please, Mom, don't go, don't leave me…"

She was numb as she watched a teenage Wyatt enter the room complaining that his little brother had ratted him out before he saw the massacre in front of him. More tears leaked out of her eyes as she saw him try to heal her before giving up and calling for Leo. She watched in horror as Leo didn't show and Wyatt orbed out of the room.

'How could they leave him like that?' she thought but the question was answered as a determined Wyatt and a slightly confused and irritated Leo orbed back in. She heard Leo question why he was taken out of an important meeting! She couldn't even believe her own ears! Her baby cried and screamed for his father and he was in a meeting? What was so damn important that he would ignore his youngest child, ever, but better yet during the heart wrenching pleas she herself had heard?

She watched as Wyatt orbed out of the room again but what took her breath away was the sheer anger she saw in Chris's eyes when Leo tried to hug him. "No… you don't even know me!" With those words he pushed Leo away violently, "You were never there for me before, what makes you think you can be here now!" She heard Chris shout before he orbed out of the room.

More tears trickled out of her eyes as she watched Leo walk back over to her older (and apparently very dead) self. He crumpled on the floor beside her, gently cradling her body to his and he orbed away. She drew in a deep breath around the hand still covering her mouth. Her eyes grew determined as her innate stubbornness kicked in. This wasn't going to happen! She was here to fix this! She placed her hand over her bulging stomach and said, "We will stop this, Peanut! There is no way you are going to watch me die like that!"

Piper closed her eyes tightly as she ran through spells in her head to help her. Suddenly she opened her eyes and said a variation of the spell that got her here:

"Charmed power of three manifested in one,

by the strength of a father's love for his son.

Take me to where I can talk to this man,

so we can change the future with a new plan."

Piper closed her eyes as white and gold lights surrounded her and took her to a new place.

When she opened her eyes she saw that she was standing outside behind a tree. She peered around the tree and realized she was in a graveyard. She looked up to see people dispersing from an open grave. She saw Chris still sitting mournfully in one of the chairs and she knew then that it was her own funeral. His head was hanging down but she would know him anywhere. She patted her belly to once again remind herself that she still had time. None of this was going to happen. She then looked for Leo. He was standing off to the side in the back; he wasn't leaving, instead he was watching Chris. She briefly wondered why he was apart from everyone before it occurred to her that it was to her advantage. She closed her eyes and in her mind screamed, 'LEO!'

Leo's eyes shot up and captured hers. She raised her hand in a 'come here' gesture and turned away from the funeral.

Leo understood the message and immediately orbed in front of her. "Piper," he whispered softly as he reached out to her.

She pushed away from him, not allowing the hug and said, "Not here." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder to point out the potential problem.

Leo's eyes followed her gesture and he took her other hand and orbed them to a small dilapidated room.

Once they landed Piper started to pace, trying to think of a way to explain to him what was going on. He watched her closely for a moment, noting her longer hair and smoother skin. He knew exactly what was going on, "You're from the past, aren't you?"

Piper stopped and stared at him, "What would make you say that?"

Leo continued, undeterred, "You shouldn't be here… What all did you see?"

Piper stepped forward and poked him in the chest with her index finger, "Oh, no. You don't get to ask me that! Not after what I saw! He watched me DIE! What have you done to our son? Why don't you know my baby?" Her tirade started off strong but grew weaker as she spoke until the final words were barely a whisper. When the last word was spoken she flopped down on the couch with her hands instinctively cradling her belly.

The movement drew Leo's eyes to her stomach and realization set in. "Oh… that far back," he said quietly. He reached out to lay a hand on her pregnant pooch and said, "Chris…" Then he paused and looked at her with determination, "Then it's not too late! You can still stop this!"

Piper turned her head towards him, "What are you talking about?"

Leo hopped up and started to pace, "Chris… my time's Chris is back in the past now isn't he?"

He started to say something else but Piper stopped him by saying, "Wait…what?" Her mind was whirling. How could he know? Didn't they change the past enough to make this baby? No, this baby was Chris so they hadn't changed the past. She blurted out her next thought, "He came back before." It wasn't a question. Chris had come back and had somehow changed something so that Leo knew about the time traveling. She spoke her next thoughts out loud, "Tell me everything!"

Leo paused and then began, "Chris came back in time telling us he was Chris Perry." He continued to explain how they learned that much of Chris's back story was a lie and that he had actually come to save Wyatt from turning evil. They eventually came to trust Chris but so much had happened. "You're sisters moved out; I moved up to Elderland and you hid your pregnancy until the last possible moment. We found out the cause of Wyatt turning evil but Chris died trying to save him. The news of his death sent you into labor. We named the baby after Chris to honor his sacrifice."

Leo paused but continued his pacing. When he continued his voice was different, holding back tears he said, "But as he grew older we could see who he was becoming. It was then that we realized who Chris really was, that he had come back to save his brother. That somehow there had been a timeline when we were a happy family. A family where you and I had two sons and where Chris…" Leo paused and gave a sad chuckle. "Where Chris was probably named after my father, Christopher. Not some time traveling witchlighter!"

Piper was thrown for a moment, "Witchlighter?"

Leo raised his hand to wave to dismiss it, "Just a future term." The distraction gave him a moment to collect himself, "Don't you see! Somewhere we screwed up. Somewhere along the lines we raised a child that would destroy the world. We thought we found the cause, we thought Gideon…"

Now Piper stopped him, "Gideon, the Elder?"

Leo went with it, "Yes, he was my mentor…"

But Piper stopped him again, "No… she said 'we were wrong' she said it wasn't just Gid… It wasn't just Gideon." Piper was starting to put pieces together but none of it was making sense. This had already happened?

"No, wait. Let me get this straight." Piper said and Leo sat down. "What you are saying," she continued, "Is that in your past, Chris came back to save Wyatt."

She paused and Leo nodded. "I got pregnant, but hid it."

Again she paused, so far all of this was lining up with her history. "Then Chris died saving Wyatt from Gideon. The news of this caused me to go into labor."

Leo said, with tears in his eyes, "Yes..."

Piper put her hand up to stop him and said, "I am from just before that point in history. The baby is due soon. Why didn't I know he was my son? Wait, why doesn't he know you now?"

Leo hung his head and sniffled before continuing, "That is my fault."

Piper raised her hands to blow him up but he raised his own hands in defeat, "We discussed it. We thought that it would be safer to have me up there to keep an eye on the other Elders. We thought that if I could just come down occasionally to make sure Wyatt was trained properly that we could keep him from turning evil."

Piper thought about the decision for Leo to stay in Elderland permanently. Once he had made up his mind there was no changing it. Seems having two sons wasn't going to alter his thoughts on protecting his family. If Leo decided the best way to protect them was to be 'up there' then that is where he would go. She nodded her head then said, "But we were wrong?"

Leo looked back at her and said, "Yes, you had been keeping a diary. It may have been Gideon that planted the seed but it seems there was a trigger to him going evil." He put his head down.

Piper stopped him, "A diary? I never kept a diary."

Leo sadly nodded his head, "You started writing down the times you saw darker sides of Wyatt. You kept it…" It was hard to say the next words, "You kept it to show me. So we could come up with a plan."

Piper was trying to follow and piece things together, "But if we were wrong… wait, you said a trigger. If he had been tipping towards evil, then what was the trigger?"

Leo didn't move.

Piper was getting angry, "Leo, what was the trigger?"

When he raised his head the tears spilled down his face, "You… your death was the trigger. After that there was no pulling him back. He was all about 'The Power'." Leo raised his hands to form finger quotes around the two words. "He said there was no such thing as good and evil just who had the most power."

Piper was shaking her head, "No, that's not possible. You can't know all that, you are just assuming! None of that has happened yet!"

Leo stared at her in disbelief, "Haven't you looked around? The city is in ruins."

Piper turned to look out a window for the first time since entering the room. She saw the smoke and as she gazed over to the Golden Gate Bridge she saw that it had been destroyed. "No! That just proves it wasn't him! I just saw him; he was… well not fine but there for his brother. He got you to watch over Chris! He needed you because I had just died."

Piper was desperate for Leo to understand, if all this devastation had happened already then it was not her precious baby that had caused it! "None of this could have happened in the few days since I died and the funeral." She was so sure of herself that when she turned and saw Leo's questioning face she became confused. "That was my funeral, wasn't it? Where we just came from? I saw Chris… and I saw you… It was my funeral, right?"

Leo was already shaking his head; he took both her hands in his and said, "No, that was your dad's funeral. It has been more than six years since your death."

Piper couldn't breathe. They had changed nothing. Worse than nothing she had made things worse. She was the trigger. She was the cause of her son's turn to evil. She had asked the spell to take her to the place that triggered it and it took her to the scene of her own death. NO! This wasn't going to happen. She would stop this. She put her hand back down on her pregnant belly and made the decision. She knew how she was going to stop this.

She stood up and pulled Leo with her. She leaned in and kissed him softly. She looked into his eyes and said, "I can fix this." She looked around the small room and said, "Do you still have the diary."

Leo nodded and left the room.

He returned quickly with a well-worn book and handed it to her but didn't let go of her hand once the book was in it. "What are you going to do?" He asked quietly.

She dropped his hand and said commandingly,

"A Time for Everything and to everything it's place.

Return what has been moved Through Time and Space."

And with that gold and white light surrounded her leaving Leo alone in the dingy room with no idea what was going to happen.

TBC

_**A/N: So we got a bit of info on the last chapter. Did you ever notice how much people ASSUME they know what just HAS to be. Piper assuming the baby was a girl because the pregnancy was so different then she went and assumed it was her funeral. It is just shocking at how wrong you can be sometimes. Thank you for reading.**_


	3. Piper Returns

**_A/N: This chapter has a little shout out to my friend __Kalmalinga, I am borrowing an idea with the truth spell._**

**Chapter 3**

**Piper Returns**

October 2004

Piper watched as the swirling white and gold lights faded and she looked around the attic. She didn't know how much time she had left to find out everything that she needed to know but this time Chris was going to tell her. She walked over to the Book and began to flip through it. Chris also needed to know what she knew. He would be the only one that could make sure she had enough information to make this plan work. Besides, she was a little ticked at the kid for lying to her for so long. His punishment was going to be that he would be the one to break his own secrets!

"Chris!" She called out to the ceiling. She didn't want to alarm him, so she waited patiently behind the bookstand.

When the blue and white orbs appeared she suppressed her desire to run and hug her new found son.

"Piper, this had better be important, I was…" He paused as he saw her standing behind the Book of Shadows. This wasn't good. Maybe he should leave until he had a better understanding of what was going on.

The next words out of Piper's mouth convinced him he was sunk,

"For those who want the truth revealed,

Opened hearts and secrets unsealed,

From now until its now again,

After which the memories end,

For those who now are in this house,

Will hear the truth from others mouths."

Piper stopped to look Chris. With _that_ voice and a stern stare that Chris instinctively obeyed, "Don't you even THINK about orbing out of here!"

Chris eyes went wide. No, there was no way she knew. She was guessing. Yeah, that was it; she was guessing and was trying to get him to give away his secrets. Well she had another thing coming if she thought she could trick him! He learned a long time ago how to beat the truth spell. All you had to do was answer honestly. Sure it sounds simple but the hard part was answering without giving the answer that they were actually looking for. Well, that and redirecting them. Yes, he could play this game. He took on a look of aloofness that didn't fool Piper for a minute. It might have fooled her before but now she knew.

She then simply asked, "What is your name?"

He smiled, "Christopher Perry." Sure, it took him a second not to admit his last name but she didn't ask that, and he didn't lie.

She nodded. He was good, she was sure his name was Christopher Perry; Christopher Perry Halliwell. She then twisted her lips wistfully as she ideally wondered what his middle name was in the original timeline; the timeline where he wasn't named after a time traveling witchlighter. The term almost made her smile but she had a job to do. She would let the kid get away with it for a minute so she asked "Who am I?"

Chris shook his head at how easy this was going to be, "Piper Halliwell."

Piper nodded, "OK, who am I to you?"

'Shit!' Chris thought, 'she can't know!' There was no way he let this slip! 'Oh! I got it', he thought and said, "My charge, I'm your whitelighter." He really needed to redirect this conversation it was just getting too close to home. "Speaking as your whitelighter we need to take a look at some upper level demons."

He tried to reach for the book but Piper didn't move. Instead she went on, "Uh huh, who else am I?"

See, Ok! He could do this, "One of the Charmed ones. Look Piper, shouldn't we be focusing on the demons here?"

But Piper wasn't deterred, "To you! Do you want to answer who am I - TO YOU?"

Chris paused before he could answer because SHIT! This wasn't supposed to be happening! 'Wait; what was the question, do I want to?' he thought to himself, 'Oh HELLS no I don't want to answer that question.' Out loud he yelled, "No, Piper, what we need to focus on here is who turns Wyatt!" He hoped shouting the answer would distract her.

Piper blinked. What? Why didn't that work? She went over the question again in her mind and realized her mistake. She looked back at him and using THAT voice he was very accustomed to in the future asked, "Christopher, who else am I… TO YOU?"

Out of Chris's mouth uncensored was "My mother." How did she figure that out? His shoulders sunk, the baby. She had to know by now that she was pregnant. She was going to hate him. He couldn't even look at her; couldn't bear to take that kind of rejection.

Piper walked up to him and smacked him on his shoulder. He grabbed it saying, "Ow, what did you do that for?"

When their eyes met he didn't see hate or anger and as she reached out and pulled him in for a hug she said, "For not telling me you were my son!"

Chris leaned in towards the hug for a moment. It had been a long time since his mother held him in her arms. Then he pushed away quickly looking down and away saying, "This doesn't have to change anything, Piper." He needed to keep them separate in his head! She was not Mom, she was Piper. "I am still your whitelighter and I still have a job to do."

Piper just stared at him and said, "This changes everything. I can't believe you didn't tell us to start with! You are moving in here…"

Chris cut her off and said, "I don't think that is a good idea." And man oh man he didn't think that would be a good idea. Now that she knew he was her son she would start to act like his mother! He would never be able to finish his mission if that happened!

But Piper wasn't going for it, "Ut, I don't want to hear it." She said as she waved her finger at him. "Things are going to change around here mister."

Chris interrupted her saying, "Piper…"

Then Piper continued, "And that is the first thing that is going to go."

Chris blinked not understanding what she had said at all, "What?"

Piper firmly said, "The name. I will not have my child calling me by my first name!"

Chris's jaw dropped, oh no! That was not good. He began again, specifically not referring to her by name so as to defer her wrath, "Look… that just isn't a good idea. If I start calling you…" He paused; he didn't want to say it. He didn't want to think of her as Mom, it just hurt too much. "If I stop calling you Piper then Paige and Phoebe will figure out something is up. There are future consequences to deal with here."

Ignoring the drop of the name 'Mom', Piper stopped him cold, "I don't want to hear about any future consequences crap, Mr. I-have-to-make-Leo-become-an-Elder-and-break-my-parents-up; a thing that almost caused you to not even be conceived!"

Chris had the decency to look ashamed at that remark before he said, "It wasn't supposed to happen like that. I mean you two were still together and you were all defending everything he ever did! 'Wyatt needs more guidance then you Chris; that's why Dad spends so much time with him'." Chris even made the finger quotes as if Piper had said that frequently in the future.

"Chris," She began and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Chris was on a roll and shook off her hand as he continued, "It wasn't like he was around all that much anyway." Chris felt himself getting lost in the old battle over his lack of paternal affection. He stopped it in its tracks and said, "It doesn't matter. We just need to focus here. No one can know who I really am. It will mess up everything. If they know they will treat me differently."

Piper was actually glad to have tabled the Leo discussion and got back to the rest of the family, "Exactly! I will not have them treating you like you are some kind of outsider; you are my son, Chris! I want them to know! I am proud to have you for a son and there is nothing you can say that will change my mind!"

Chris softened as he heard his mother's proclamations to him. It is what every child dreams of, that their mom would be proud of them. Tears welled up in his eyes as he tried to continue the fight, "But Mooommm, I have to focus here."

Both Piper and Chris were so caught up in the emotional turmoil that they didn't hear the person by the attic door.

Phoebe was walking into the manor when she heard yelling going on upstairs. She set her stuff down and went to investigate the commotion. She didn't hear everything that was said but she definitely caught the last line. Chris had called Piper 'Mom'. And he called her that in a decidedly whiney voice, like a little kid who didn't get his way.

She pushed open the attic door, stopped and stared. Chris still had tears in his eyes as he turned towards the noise. He was quickly schooling his expression though. If Phoebe had taken the time she would have been amazed at his recovery. He went from whiney teenager to neurotic whitelighter faster then she could even formulate a question.

Piper, on the other hand, still looked gob smacked. That was the first time he had called her Mom! She couldn't believe how right it sounded.

Phoebe was still trying to pick her jaw off the floor when they all heard Paige yell, "Anybody home?"

Phoebe turned towards the voice and quickly turned back to the mother and son saying, "Don't either of you move!" With that she ran down the stairs.

Piper looked at Chris and knew he was about to orb out, she pointed one finger at him and said, "Don't make me ground you."

Chris gave her a little grin. He had wanted this for such a long time. He wanted to tell them every day, but still he knew, "This is a bad idea…" he began as Phoebe burst through the door dragging a protesting Paige.

"What is so important that you had to drag me up here?" Paige asked Phoebe as she righted herself.

Phoebe was panting as she tried to answer the question, "You have to hear this…"

She was still trying to catch her breath as Chris looked at his mom and said, "Please…"

Paige looked at the faces in the room and knew she was missing something important. "Tell me what?" She asked to no one in particular.

Phoebe had caught her breath and looked at Piper and said, "Are you going to explain this…" She didn't finish what the 'this' was; knowing that Piper was well aware of what she was talking about.

Piper wasn't sure where to start so she stated the fact, "Chris is my son."

Paige looked at Piper then to Chris and then back to Piper to ask, "Is that what he told you?" Before Piper could answer she looked back at Chris, "What kind of scam are you running now? You had our trust you don't need to lie now to gain it."

Phoebe had watched the exchange like a tennis match. Her brain was catching up and suddenly Paige sounded right. I mean, come on, if he were really Piper's son then she would still be with Leo. Not only that but, "You would have told us if you were really Piper's son!" Phoebe interjected.

Chris looked down and said honestly, "You never would have believed me." And with that he sat down and put his head in his hands.

Piper looked at her sisters with righteous anger and exclaimed, "He is my son and even if I didn't know, FOR SURE, that this baby that I am carrying is Chris there is no way for him to lie, I cast a truth spell!" Three bombs dropped at once. Piper was currently pregnant, Chris really was her son and she had actually cast a truth spell!

Paige was the first one to regain her voice, "Oh my God, you're pregnant? Why didn't you tell us!" She ran over and hugged Piper.

"I didn't tell anyone. Not even Chris although I am sure he figured it out." She said as she gave him a mock stern look. Chris glanced up at his mother and felt glad to have someone on his side.

Phoebe approached him slowly and asked, "So, you're really Wyatt's brother?"

He smiled and said "Yes, but please don't ask me anymore about the future. You could jeopardize the lives of your future children."

Phoebe got a big goofy grin and said, "Children, so that was plural, as in more than one?"

Chris sighed but had to answer, "Yes, please stop. Mom?" He pleaded, with the truth spell he couldn't afford to be around the sisters. He didn't have the strength to combat the barrage of questions.

Phoebe squealed at the title bestowed on Piper and clapped her hands. Paige had let go of the hug and Piper said, "Enough. Fine. You," and she pointed at Chris, "Go to P3 and get your stuff." Chris started to protest but Piper said, "Or stay here and answer questions."

Chris knew to get out while he could and he orbed to his room in the back of P3.

Piper watched Chris orb then looked back at her sisters and said, "Ok, let's hear it." Both sisters started talking at once each topping the other with questions. Piper finally raised her hand in a time out gesture and said, "Enough! I can't make out what either of you are saying." She pointed at Phoebe and said "You first, ONE question!"

Phoebe looked over at Paige and made up her mind. The one thing they really needed to know was, "When? When did you find out Chris was your son?"

Piper blurted out the answer without discussing it with her brain, "The future." Damn, she needed to be more careful. She couldn't tell them everything but she was affected by the truth spell. She needed to stop their questions so she didn't get asked something she didn't want to answer. She raised her hand and said, "Let's go downstairs and have some coffee. This is a long story, we need to get comfortable." That would buy her a little time to decide how much she was planning on sharing.

On her way downstairs she yelled out to the ceiling, "I'm not kidding Christopher. Get your stuff over here. Don't make me tell the bouncers you are no longer welcome in the club." She knew that he was going to delay for as long as possible due to the truth spell but she didn't want him thinking he was getting out of moving here.

Chris closed his eyes as he heard his mother's words ring through his head. This was always the worst part about being part whitelighter. A part his mother figured out how to exploit years ago. He grabbed a box from the back and started packing his stuff. There was no way he could get out of moving back home now. She would follow through with her threat. He tried to ignore the little voice inside him that was cheering about the prospect of moving home again.

Piper entered the kitchen behind her sisters. Paige was already making the coffee; Phoebe was sitting at the table. They both stopped what they were doing when she entered the room. Paige was the first to speak, "Well I guess that is convenient. Glad my parents didn't know about the reach you anywhere intercom!"

Phoebe giggled but completely understood the sentiment. Then she reached up to touch Piper's stomach. "How did we not know you were pregnant?" She saw that Piper was showing and recognized it for what it was now that she knew.

Piper smiled, she was actually surprised they hadn't noticed. So she answered honesty, "Busy lives," But then softened the blow with the next part, "That and big shirts and lots of jackets."

Both Paige and Phoebe looked down, ashamed that they could miss such an important change in their oldest sister.

Paige again broke the silence, "So, where do we start? How about how long have you known you were pregnant?"

Piper took that question and of course had to answer honestly, "I found out when I was about four months along." She blushed as she told the next part, "It was after the ghostly plane."

Phoebe was bursting to ask a question about the ghostly plane but Paige spoke first, "How long have you known the baby was Chris?"

Piper gave a grim smile and said, "Today, I found out today. Look, l wanted to tell you two, I really did. I was just scared. What if this baby was evil too? Chris had never mentioned Wyatt having siblings. I decided the best way would be to find out how Wyatt was turned so I wrote a spell to take me to the event that turned him."

"I understand that you were afraid, but you didn't tell us! You know we could have helped you. That is what sisters are for!" Phoebe said and was starting to get herself worked up. She was mad at Piper for hiding the pregnancy and mad at herself for not noticing.

Paige redirected the conversation, "What did you see?"

Oh, that is not good. An open ended question. Piper had to think quickly. She didn't want to tell them too much. "I saw a lot of things but most importantly, I saw my death. Chris watched me die, he tried to save me but couldn't and Wyatt and Leo were too late. It was horrible," she shuddered as she watched the scene play out again in her mind. That wasn't going to happen. She would stop that from happening again.

When she spoke again she felt stronger, "I then said a spell to take me to Leo. Leo explained that six years had passed and in that time Wyatt had grown more powerful and more evil."

Then she paused and said, "Ugh, this is going to get confusing, let me see if I can sum it up. Leo knew that Chris had returned to the past. He knew because he had returned to Leo's past. We never found out that he was our son, we named this baby," She said as she pointed to her belly, "after him to honor his sacrifice."

She stopped again to hold back the tears. The thought of losing Chris just as she got to know him was too much. "When Chris got older it became apparent that he was the one that had returned to the past." She stopped here for a moment to get control of herself.

Paige jumped in at the pause, "What do you mean, 'to honor of his sacrifice'?"

Piper paused and realized she hadn't explained that part at all. She was mulling over her words to tell her sisters while not telling them too much. Paige saw the hesitation for what it was and said, "Look, I get you wanting to fix this all by yourself, I really do. But there is NOTHING you can come up with on your own that will be better than the Power of Three!"

Piper looked up to each sister and knew that Paige was right; their input would make this plan better. If they could stop Gideon from planting that seed of evil within Wyatt then she wouldn't have to resort to plan B. And she had a plan B, but she wasn't telling them if she didn't have to.

She decided to start at the beginning and told her sisters what she saw really emphasizing how Leo and Wyatt weren't there for Chris. She told them about the diary and explained how her death was the trigger. They talked through the night coming up with plan after plan on how to stop Gideon but Piper stopped them from the one thing they wanted to do first; tell Leo. "No, he is going to stay up there either way. Even knowing about Chris didn't stop him from remaining. I am not going to put Chris through that again. No matter what, he is not to know." Piper explained. Paige and Phoebe were surprised by her adamancy. It was not like Piper to want to hide facts from Leo and this was an important fact!

"No. You guys just don't understand. It was hard enough for him to leave Wyatt; it will be hard for him to stay away if he has two children down here. But it's worse than that; the other Piper said that Leo became so fixated on protecting Wyatt that he neglected Chris. Apparently that Piper was so OK with it that she defended him to our Chris. He was telling me about it earlier when he was being affected by the truth spell. So no, I am not going to tell Leo that I am even pregnant." She saw her sisters' reluctance and so she pulled out the big guns, "Look, he made his choice and now he has to deal with it."

Part of them wanted to deny the claims but they never did understand how Leo could walk away from his family. They reluctantly agreed with Paige saying, "Fine, do it your way."

And Phoebe saying, "I'm not sure about this but I will honor your wish. Besides, he won't be around for me to let the cat out of the bag anyway." The trio laughed.

Piper still had her mind on Chris being son and couldn't wait to really get to know him better. She sighed to herself. She was sure that would fall under 'future consequences'.

TBC


	4. Plan B

**Chapter 4**

**Plan B**

Piper was sitting alone in the dining room, reading through the diary, when Chris orbed in. He peered around the box he was holding to look through the room. "Is it safe?" he asked her.

She gave him a smile and said, "Yes, it's safe. Go and put your stuff down, we need to talk."

Chris's shoulders stiffened and he walked out to lay his stuff down in the other room. He walked back into the dining room already dreading the conversation to come. In his experience, whenever anyone started with 'we need to talk' it was never a good thing. He sat down at the table and looked at Piper. She was closing the diary. He glanced at the book and said, "I didn't know you had already started keeping that thing." He would recognize his mother's diary anywhere. She always had it close to her when he was growing up.

Piper had a serious look on her face when she said, "I didn't."

Chris scrunched his eyes in confusion, she was reading something in the book and it didn't look like the first page.

Piper began to explain, "There is a reason I knew to ask your name; to ask who I was to you."

Chris looked at her, waiting, not understanding.

Piper paused then said, "I went to the future."

It took a moment for the full realization of what Piper had just said to hit Chris but when it did he stood quickly and started to pace the room. He had wide eyes as he started speaking, "You shouldn't be reading that. There are things there you aren't meant to know."

He stopped and stared at her when she said, "I already know."

Chris was shaking his head, there were things that led up to The Event in there and he never saw that diary again after she died. He always assumed Leo had it, what if he had written in it?

"No, Pip…" At her glare he paused, looked down and said in a whisper, "Mom…" He looked back up at her and began to explain again, "You can't know. You could change the future in even worse ways."

Piper stood, walked over to Chris and put her hand on his arm saying, "I saw."

He was again shaking his head and he backed away.

She didn't let go of him as she said, "Peanut, I saw my death."

Tears that Chris didn't even know he was holding in began to flow down his cheeks and he reached towards her and pulled her into a hug. "I tried so hard to save you," he told her.

She petted the back of his hair, "I know, baby, I know. We are going to change things so that you never have to live through that."

He pulled back to look at her and said, "I didn't even dare to hope that I could save you now." And the tears began to flow again.

When he had calmed down Piper walked back over to the diary and said, "Leo… your Leo," She began and Chris rolled his eyes, "Gave this to me. He said we could still fix everything. He told me about Wyatt." She paused and looked away for a moment; she didn't want to think about the things he was capable of. "He told me that they knew who planted the seed of evil within him. They thought they had saved him but something triggered that evil again."

Chris was watching her steadily as he asked, "What do you mean 'triggered' and how did they know they had to save him?"

It was Piper's turn to look away. She hadn't intended to tell him about his part in all this, but now she realized she had no choice. "They knew because you had gone back to tell them." She explained.

Chris sat down and said, "I… I went back?"

Piper shook her head as if to deny the statement but said, "Yes, but they never knew who you were. You died trying to save Wyatt. They thought you had saved him. Leo told me we named our baby to honor the sacrifice that young whitelighter from the future had made. It wasn't until that baby grew older that they recognized who you were and knew that you had gone back in time to save your brother." Piper's eyes glistened from unshed tears.

Chris opened his mouth, closed it again and opened it to say, "But… but, he still became evil. I didn't save him."

Piper wanted to reassure him but lacked any really comforting words, "You would have saved him, if…"

Chris waited again for her to continue but she didn't. "If what, Mom?"

Piper gave a small watery smile at the name and Chris returned the gesture. Piper then dropped the grin and said, "There is so much here for us to figure out." Piper was trying to redirect the conversation, "You need to understand, when baby Chris was born, Leo decided to stay up in Elderland to watch out for other Elders that could mean our family harm. He came down occasionally to make sure Wyatt was still good and he and your Piper discussed things she saw." She pointed at the diary. "He never meant to neglect you…"

Chris was shaking his head, he saw what his mom was doing and allowed her to lead the conversation away from his question but now he had to stop her, "Mom, stop defending him. He made his choices, he left, he didn't make time for me; those were his choices. I don't want to hear about him. I want to know what the trigger was." There, he said it. That is what he wanted; he no longer cared why Leo treated him like an unwanted visitor. At least that is what he was telling himself. He needed to believe he didn't care because there was a bigger picture here.

He waited for what seemed like years for Piper to tell him and when she finally spoke, he wished she hadn't told him at all. "My death was the trigger," she said quietly.

Piper had a determined look on her face when she said, "So we stop the seed of evil being planted or we stop my death from occurring." She paused and smiled before saying, "Or preferably, both. And we save Wyatt."

Chris smiled at her nonchalance regarding her own demise then he realized she hadn't said the most important part, "Wait, you said you know who planted the evil. I have been searching for all these months and they knew who it was?"

Piper paused, she could hardly believe what she was going to say, "They said," and she paused again. Chris waited expectantly, "They said it was the Elder, Gideon."

Chris's mouth dropped and he stayed like that for a second before saying, "Gideon? The Elder that founded magic school?" Chris shakes his head and says, "We went to school there. We learned about him and his plan to educate magical children..."

Piper looks at him and says, "Wait, I sent you to magic school?"

Chris replied, "Yeah, Dad said it was a way he could keep a better eye on Wyatt. I didn't want to go but I refused to be moved to a school without Wyatt."

Piper barely heard anything after the 'Dad' comment. Chris had never referred to Leo as Dad. She mentally shook it off not wanting to derail Chris.

Chris was lost in his own thoughts for a moment before he said, "That's it! Gideon is at magical school now, right? I can go up to Magic School to 'check it out' for Wyatt and get close to him."

Piper was already shaking her head no, "I don't want to put you in any danger."

Chris gave her a sardonic look and said, "This can't be any more dangerous than the underworld." Piper couldn't disagree.

"Fine," Piper began, "you work on a way to make that work, I am going to study the diary but first we both need to get some sleep."

Chris opened his mouth to object but Piper put her hand up and said, "I don't want to hear it, mister! I already have a room ready for you. First sleep, then plans, got it?"

He looked down and responding to the voice he was quite used to in the future said, "Got it, Mom."

Piper nodded her head and walked towards the stairs. This had been a very long day, but she was feeling better. Chris was her son and they had finally determined a way to save Wyatt. When she laid down on her bed sleep took her quickly.

Chris paced the room for a moment before lying down. It would do no good to anger his mother now. Maybe sleep would help. They finally had a plan.

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / Charmed / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

Chris left a note for his mom explaining that he was doing some scouting around Magic School and he would be home in the afternoon. Piper was not pleased that he would go off on his own but realized that he was used to working by himself. It was going to take a while for him to understand that he had family now. Piper made herself and Wyatt some breakfast and began to read through the diary again. There had to be something there that would help them to stop Gideon without resorting to calling on Leo.

She paused and looked up thinking that was something she was going to have to share with Chris; the fact that she wasn't going to inform Leo about Chris's parentage. She took a brief moment to wonder if she was doing the right thing but then she remembered the look on Chris's face as he told her about his dad favoring Wyatt. No, she wouldn't tolerate favoritism, especially not from Leo. It would be better this way, especially if she had to resort to plan B.

The days flowed into the other. Chris stayed busy trying to gather as much information about Gideon either at Magic School or down in the underworld. He was still certain that there was a demonic influence or at least demonic help. Piper and Chris often found time to peruse the diary over lunch, making it a little bit of mother son bonding time. Piper was amazed at how different she felt about Chris now that she understood his motives and more importantly, knew he was her son. It was hard to believe the little life growing inside her was this determined young man that sat in front of her. She smiled at the thought and Chris looked at her and said, "What?"

She raised her hand and brushed the hair from his eyes and said, "Thank you. Thank you for coming back to warn us."

Chris only blushed and finished chewing his sandwich before saying, "Anytime, Mom, anytime."

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / Charmed / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

Piper woke feeling that something was off; today was the day of her first sonogram. She knew she should have gone much sooner but she had been so busy worrying about how to find out more about Wyatt that she neglected her own health. She got up and got ready, calling Paige to watch Wyatt so Chris could take her to the appointment. Paige told her, "Be sure to bring home pictures."

They both watched in wonder as the screen flickered and baby Chris came into view. Chris was once again amazed at his mother's love for him. The look on her face was pure joy and he was glad to be able to witness it. The tech proudly told them, "It's a boy."

Piper snorted causing Chris to laugh. At the look of confusion he explained, "I told her the baby would be a boy." And they just left it there.

They were walking through the parking garage to the car when Piper said, "Did you see her face when you called me Mom?"

Chris laughed and said, "Well, I had to," He lied; actually it felt as natural as breathing to call Piper 'Mom'. "I didn't want you to have to ground me for calling you Piper."

Piper joined his laughter and said, "Yeah, well there was that." They were both so involved in their conversation they missed the warning signs until the spider demon was upon them. Chris saw it just before she leapt at Piper and he shoved her out of the way, getting himself scratched trying to protect her. The demon scurried off before they could do anything to it.

He helped Piper up saying, "Are you ok?" He reached up to put his hand over the scratches because, wow, they really hurt.

Piper said, "I'm fine, how are you?"

Chris looked down at her stomach and said, "You tell me."

Piper smiled and said, "I think you would be the first to know if mini Chris was hurt." She had just noticed his pained expression and looked closer at him. She tugged at the arm where he was holding the scratches and said, "Let me see that." Panic started to flood her as she realized that Chris had been hurt by the demon.

"Oh no, we gotta get you home fast. I read about this. You need to take the antidote for the spider demon's venom. Being scratched by her makes you infected." She drove them home as quickly as she could, regretting that they hadn't just orbed there.

She called for Paige as they came through the front door asking her to help Chris clean the wound as she hunted through the diary. Finally she found the entry. Apparently in the future version, Chris was turned by the demon and they had to call Leo to save both Piper and Chris. This is when Leo found out that Piper was pregnant.

Piper had Paige orb to get Phoebe then she quickly explained the story to them. They made the vanquishing potion for the demon and the antidote. Unlike the previous timeline they were able to get Chris to drink the antidote before he was too far gone.

Once Chris was feeling more like himself he came up with a plan. He would orb to the demon while she still thought he was affected by her venom. He could then throw the vanquishing potion at her.

Piper was already starting to argue, "No way, you aren't going to a spider demon's lair all by yourself. That is just too dangerous."

Chris sighed, he knew this would happen. Now that she knew he was her son her maternal instinct had kicked right in. It was like this when he was growing up too. She never let him go on demon hunts because he was the baby. It annoyed him to no end when he was little and it felt even worse now. "Look Mom…" he began to say.

Paige interrupted him, "Piper, this is probably our best chance. The demon will think she still has control of Chris and her guard will be down. According to the book the entrance to her lair is blocked by magical spider webs, without Chris we won't be able to get through."

Chris gave his aunt a smile, though he shouldn't have been surprised that she would stick up for him. She was always the one pushing Mom to allow him to go with them. It was for educational purposes back then, of course. He turned to his mother and gave her a knowing look and said, "I'll be fine, Mom. How about this, why don't we all go to the lair and I will go in by myself to toss the potion. I promise if there are any problems that I will orb right back out." He gave her his most reassuring smile.

Piper didn't want to be swayed by the argument but she had to admit that it did seem to be the best plan they had so far. She reached up and brushed his hair out of his eyes and said, "Are you sure you are feeling better. Maybe one of us should go in first."

This time Phoebe came to his rescue saying, "Piper, he'll be fine. You know he has lots of experience with demons."

Both Chris and Paige gave her a look as if to say 'not helping'. Reminding Piper that Chris used to run off by himself was not going to encourage her to allow him to go. Paige said, "Piper, really, this is the best plan and we need to hurry before the demon realizes that Chris is no longer affected."

That got Piper. She didn't want to be the cause of any more of Chris's pain. She still hadn't forgiven herself with the way she treated him before she knew who he was. She finally said, "Ok, let's go," then she locked eyes with Chris and said, "But be careful."

Chris smiled and took her hand to orb her to the spider demon's lair as he said, "I always am."

Vanquishing the demon was easier than they thought it would be. Chris orbed in and threw the potion before the demon even recognized the threat. The Charmed ones waited outside the cave and watched as the magical spider webs disappeared and Chris emerged from the entrance with a cocky grin. "Piece of cake," he told them and they all orbed back to the manor.

Once they were home Piper felt he needed to know the truth. "Chris, in the diary Piper said that Leo found out about the pregnancy when you were infected by the spider demon." Chris nodded. "We didn't call him this time and I don't plan to tell him about you at all." Piper looked down again wondering if she was doing the right thing.

Chris was startled, his mother never kept anything from his father in the future. "Okay." He said.

She looked at him and said, "Just ok?"

He gave her a smile and said, "In my future he wasn't around enough for me to really be able to consider him my father anyway. This is fine, Mom. What we really need to do is to figure out how to stop Gideon." Piper smiled and hugged him.

"I also think we should find a way to send you back to the future." She told him. This stopped Chris in his tracks and he said, "No way, I am here for a reason and I plan to stay until Wyatt is safe." He didn't mention the unspoken, 'and you safe too.'

She put her hand on his arm and said, "Chris, I don't want to lose you! If you stay you could die here and that is just not a chance I am willing to take."

Chris shook his head and told her, "Alright, how about we compromise. We will start to look for a way to send me back, but I will stay until Wyatt is safe." Piper figured that was as close as she was going to get so she agreed. They still needed to find a way to stop Gideon. Time was running out. Little Chris was going to be born within the month and if the diary was correct the date would be November 16th.

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / Charmed / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

**November 15th 2004**

Chris had finally gotten close enough to Gideon to understand his plan. He watched Sigmund, Gideon's assistant open a curtain on a wall inside Gideon's room and speak with someone. When Sigmund left Chris opened the curtain and saw a dark version of himself staring back. They spoke, completing each other's sentences, "Gideon is behind all of this. He was" Said good Chris.

"Trying to send me home." Evil Chris finished. "We have to stop him. We need" Evil Chris continued.

"A spell." Good Chris finished.

They both paused then stated at the same time, "Mom."

They looked into the other's eyes as good Chris said, "It is the only way to keep my Wyatt good." At the same time that evil Chris said, "Evil." They nodded and backed away each orbing to their own homes.

"Mom?" Chris called out when he orbed to the manor.

"In the kitchen," replied Piper.

He walked into the kitchen to find his mother and both aunts sitting around the table. Chris explained what he saw in the strange mirror in Gideon's office. "It has to be an alternate universe, a mirror image of this one." he explained and then told them he needed a powerful spell. "It has to be as strong as a Power of Three spell but something I can use by myself." Piper was about to object but Chris cut her off and said, "Look, mini me is due to be born tomorrow. We have to do this now."

Paige said, "I hate to agree with him but he is right, we need to come up with something powerful."

They worked through the night coming up with a spell and a potion to stop Gideon. The potion was to weaken him and the spell was to erase his memories. If they could stop him before he got to Wyatt then he would never be able to plant the seed of evil. That left fourteen years for Piper to prevent her own death. They were all feeling really good about the plan. Chris was going to wait in the attic after letting Gideon know that he would be alone with baby Wyatt. Wyatt would be safe with his mother but Gideon would come to the attic and Chris would throw the potion to weaken him and then say the spell. They had everything all planned out. What could go wrong?

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / Charmed / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

**November 16th 2004**

Chris stood alone in the attic behind the Book of Shadows. A lifelike baby doll was sitting in the portable playpen. Chris looked around nervously and he heard Gideon orb in.

Several things happened at once, Piper was in a protected part of a safe house when she thought her water broke. She screamed for Paige when she noticed that there was a lot of blood instead of amniotic fluid on the floor.

Paige orbed her to the hospital, leaving baby Wyatt with Phoebe.

Wyatt sensed the danger that Chris was in and orbed to him. Their bond, although weakened from the defenses that Chris had built up over the years, was still flowing.

Chris threw the potion hitting Gideon as Wyatt orbed to the room. Chris took off at a dead run towards the baby as Gideon conjured a knife and stabbed Chris.

Chris fell to the floor reaching his hand out to his baby big brother and said, "Wy…" before closing his eyes.

Gideon was speaking as he walked away from Chris's fallen body, "It didn't have to be this way. You didn't need to die. It should have been only Wyatt."

He raised the knife above the baby's head, saying, "This is for the greater good…" He began to swiftly lower the knife at Wyatt.

Wyatt never raised his shield, instead he stared at the knife and caused it to orb away from Gideon. The knife turned in midair and stabbed Gideon in the heart. With the potion already weakening him he fell to the ground and died. His body faded away.

Wyatt toddled over to Chris; he sat down, began to cry and said "Cwiss."

Chris opened his eyes and reached out to his brother.

It took Phoebe ten minutes to get to the manor after Wyatt orbed away from her. She raced up the stairs to find Wyatt crying over a bleeding Chris. "Oh God, Chris!" Phoebe exclaimed as she ran towards the two brothers.

"Tell Mom…" Chris began and he drew in another breath, "Wyatt saved himself. Gideon…" he coughed hard and dragged in another breath, "Gideon is dead."

Phoebe was frantic, "Hang on Chris."

Wyatt had raised his hand to heal Chris but nothing was working and he cried harder seeming to know that something was very wrong.

Chris wheezed again and said, "Tell her… love her…" and he died.

Phoebe screamed, "Nooooo," as Chris's body faded away. Phoebe picked up Wyatt and held him close to her as she sobbed. A thought suddenly hit her, "Piper." And she ran towards the car with Wyatt in her arms.

Paige was pacing the waiting room. How long could they make her wait? Her sister was bleeding to death and her nephew was dying inside her. This couldn't be happening. She paced for what seemed like hours. Finally Phoebe arrived with Wyatt in her arms, her face streaked with tears.

Paige took one look at her and asked, "Chris?" Phoebe just shook her head no.

Paige needed more answers but just then the doctor walked into the room, "Halliwell?"

Both sisters got into the doctors personal space asking, "My sister and the baby?"

He smiled and said, "They are both going to be fine." He led them to the recovery unit and they watched as a baby Chris was handed to Piper.

Paige had tears running down her face as she said, "Looks like we didn't lose him after all."

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / Charmed / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

**January 1, 2005**

Piper sat on her bed as she compiled the scant amount of pictures they had of baby Chris. She was determined to make this the best possible baby book. She had scoured everywhere she could find to put the perfect wording under each photo. She smiled as she remembered coming across a special trilogy of poems. They were for three siblings, the oldest, the middle and the baby. She shook her head thinking about the middle child's poem. She had that poem in her jewelry box, it was from her mother. She had always thought her mother wrote it just for her.

Piper sighed and she looked back down at the letter she had written for Chris. She and her sisters disagreed on what she was planning to do but she knew that she had to stop the trigger since she wasn't able to stop Gideon in time. Baby Wyatt had watched his brother die and was unable to save him. Instead he had to kill an Elder to save his own life. No, they weren't in time. She knew the seed of evil had been planted so she had to stop the trigger. She took the baby book and placed it in the attic in a box of Chris's things. One day he would find this and know how very much she loved him.

Piper went back down the stairs and kissed her boys goodbye. She looked at her sisters and father and said, "This is the only way. You didn't see that world; my babies will not grow up to live in that." They didn't say anything. She wasn't listening to anyone. She had made up her mind that the only way to save her boys would be to remove herself from their lives. She walked out the front door only turning to say, "You'll see, one day, you'll see I was right." And she left to follow her own plan B.

TBC


	5. Chris and Wyatt

_A/N: Reminder of the warning in the summary, this story will contain corporal punishment. _

**Chapter 5**

**Wyatt with Chris**

**Year 2018**

Wyatt parked the car and Chris was out before Wyatt could even pull the keys out of the ignition. Wyatt shook his head as he watched his brother make a beeline into the manor. It had been a long week. What, with work and school he didn't think this week would ever end! But he had off this weekend and he planned to go back down into the underworld and continue his endeavor. He smiled as he thought about it, Chris was going to ready to join him soon and then he wouldn't have to hide this anymore.

Wyatt entered the manor and headed for the kitchen picking up Chris's discarded backpack and continued his musings. Chris would be old enough, mature enough to handle the power that their heritage and Wyatt's dealings would afford them. Wyatt opened Chris's backpack and began to search for the assignment pad he had Chris get filled out. He would be mature enough, that is, if Wyatt could get him through high school. Wyatt found the assignment pad with a letter in front of it. He grabbed both out. The assignment pad would have this weeks' worth of work written out, all homework and assignments so Wyatt could make sure Chris got it all done. It may seem like over kill but that kid was forever forgetting something. Wyatt had instituted the assignment pad after a particularly bad month of getting zeros for homework. Wyatt paused and thought about how he ended up being the parent in their relationship. Sure Grandpa lived with them and the aunts were always over, but it was Wyatt that raised Chris. It had been that way for as long as Wyatt could remember. It didn't matter that Wyatt was only two plus years older, Wyatt was Chris's primary parent and they both liked it that way. Ok, maybe Chris wasn't as crazy about it, but you don't always like your parents, especially when you were in trouble! Speaking of trouble he had probably better open this letter first. He shook his head and smiled a sad smile as he gently tore open the letter.

Wyatt began to read the letter and abruptly halted as he yelled out commandingly, "Christopher!" One word that was as much a name as a warning.

Chris had raced out of the car and straight upstairs to his room. It was finally Friday and Friday the thirteenth at that! He and Seth had plans that he needed to confirm if they were going to go demon hunting. With Seth being half manticore and him being a witchlighter they were bound to have fun tonight. That was if he could sneak out without Wyatt knowing. He had been on the phone for a while when he heard his full first name yelled from downstairs, "Crap, I gotta go!" he said.

Seth couldn't give up such a golden opportunity, "What, did 'Daddy' call for you?" Then he laughed at the angry sound Chris made.

Chris replied, "Shut up, if Wyatt grounds me there will be no going to the underworld tonight!"

That sobered Seth up quickly so he said, "Ok, just call me first chance you get."

Chris was hanging up when he heard the dreaded, "One…" He didn't bother to use the stairs. He orbed down before Wyatt could finish the word, 'Two'.

Before Chris could open his mouth to ask what was going on Wyatt had already raised the note before him.

"Do you want to explain this to me?" Wyatt asked.

All the color drained from Chris's face. Damn! He had forgotten about that letter! It had been during first period this morning that his teacher had given it to him. He actually had planned to get Grandpa to sign it to get around this current situation. Just great.

Wyatt continued, "Do you want to explain how you managed to 'forget' about your English paper? The same one that you told me you had finished. The one I have been asking you about for the last month."

Chris had no defense for not doing the required material. "But it was Shakespeare! I hate Shakespeare! All those fancy words and love stories, it's just stupid!" He whined out.

Wyatt ignored the statement as he reached for the assignment pad. "What else haven't you finished?" Wyatt asked as he flipped through the book to the correct page.

Chris started backing up. Apparently this was a really bad time to have tried to challenge Wyatt's authority. It sounded so much better on Monday when he decided he was old enough to not have his assignments written down.

"Empty?" Wyatt shouted, "It's empty! You didn't get one thing written down all week!"

Oh man, this was bad, Wyatt was so angry. He should have known better. His big brother was always going to be looking out for him. Whether it was over bullies in the play yard, homework or even chores to be done around the house, Wyatt was going to be watching to make sure he was safe and always did his best. But right now Chris wasn't thinking about how wonderful it was to have such a great big brother, right now he was thinking how much it sucked that his brother had his nose stuck in every aspect of his business!

"No one else has to have one of those filled out." Chris said, and yep, he was whining again. Man, how was he going to prove he was old enough to worry about himself if he kept sounding like a two year old! Oh, but Chris didn't stop there, how could he? "Besides, I can take care of myself, you know! I am fourteen years old and I can decide if I want to do homework or not!"

Chris was starting to feel bold now, just getting on a roll when Wyatt said, "Really, because this says you are in danger of failing English!" Wyatt paused, and then continued with, "What did I tell you would happen if you didn't turn in another assignment?"

Chris stopped and stared at Wyatt with his eyes as big as saucers. He knew exactly what his brother said would happen if missed another homework task. He spoke the first words that came to his head, "Oh come on Wyatt, you're not my fath-"

He was unable to complete the word 'father' as Wyatt said in a deadly growl, "Do not even THINK about finishing that sentence unless you want to be grounded too."

Chris's mouth snapped shut; those words were really the wrong thing to say to the person that had been acting as your father for as long as you can remember. He started to backpedal, "Wy, I'm sorry…"

Wyatt was no longer listening, "Right now, go up to your room and wait for me."

Chris was near tears not only because of his upcoming punishment but for upsetting Wyatt, "Please, Wy…"

Wyatt only snapped his fingers and pointed towards the stairs. Chris hung his head and walked towards the next room. He was sunk! Wyatt was pissed. Yep, defying him seemed like a really bad idea now, he thought as he slowly trudged upstairs to his room. When he got there he stood in the doorway thinking about sitting on the bed. With as mad as Wyatt was, now was not the time to test him. He walked over to a corner and put his nose in it. God, he hated standing in a corner but if Wyatt came in and he wasn't there, things would be worse. He knew that from experience.

Wyatt set the letter and the homework pad down and started to pace. The kid had lied to him. To HIM! Of all people to lie to, Chris lied to him! He had told him that the work was done. Oh he was going to wear that kid out! And to suddenly decide to defy him with not having the teachers fill out homework assignments! He paced more; he really needed to calm down.

He thought back over the conversation in his head. No, if he had to admit it the thing that he was most upset about was the 'you're not my father' comment. Of course he was not the boy's father! Their father was a deadbeat dad (an 'Elder' if you believed their aunts' stories). Their parent's had a forbidden romance (which probably fueled Chris's hate for Shakespeare, come to think of it), but eventually got married and had baby Wyatt. As time passed their dad became an Elder but apparently still came around for a booty call every once in a while since mom had gotten pregnant again. Wyatt rolled his eyes, thinking about his parents always made him angrier. Sure, Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige had often told them how Piper had 'sacrificed' her right to be their mother for their own good. Whatever! She left, end of story. Her and her deadbeat husband NEVER came around and good riddance!

Ugh! This wasn't helping. He needed to focus on Chris. Chris was in trouble for not turning in that English work and Wyatt had a promise to keep about what would happen if Chris did that again. With that he walked up the stairs.

Chris heard Wyatt walking up the stairs. That was a good sign; it should mean that he wouldn't be grounded. The bad news was that it meant he was planning on talking first. 'Oh, please… Don't make me say it…' Chris thought as he closed his eyes.

Wyatt paused at the door and looked at Chris standing with his nose in the corner. Well that was the first thing the boy had done right since the whole ordeal began. Wyatt let out a deep breath. Now was not the time to go easy on him. He warned him what would happen. With that he calmly asked, "What did I tell you would happen if you missed another assignment?"

Chris squeezed his eyes tighter, apparently praying hadn't helped, "You said you would spa…" Crap! Why did they always have to talk about it first! He hated saying that word almost as much as he hated the act. Ok, maybe not that much, but still. "You said you would punish me," Chris said petulantly.

Chris still had his nose to the corner and Wyatt almost smiled at his reluctance. He didn't like to have to punish Chris, ever, but he had had many chances and he knew the consequences for it this time. "Uh huh and how was I going to punish you?" Wyatt asked.

Chris's shoulders dropped and his head hit the wall. He was going to make him say it, well at least he didn't have to look at him, "You said..."

He didn't get any further before Wyatt said, "Look at me when you are talking."

When Chris made no move to turn Wyatt continued with, "You made the choice, now face the music."

Chris blew out the breath he was holding. He wasn't going to cry! He wasn't going to prove he deserved to be punished like a little kid by crying over it before it even began. He turned to face his brother and felt his face flame as he said, "You said you would spank me if I missed another assignment." He was going to stop there. This was embarrassing enough but his mouth kept going without checking in with his brain, "But Wy, it won't happen again. Really, I will finish the assignment and turn it in on Monday."

Wyatt had been walking over to the bed as Chris spoke. He sat down on the bed as he said, "Glad to hear it, now come here."

Chris put his hands on his butt but didn't move any closer, "Please Wy. I mean it, it won't happen again. You don't need to do this."

Wyatt let out an exasperated sound and said, "Apparently I do. I warned you what would happen. Instead of just doing it, you lied to me. TO ME!"

Chris's eyes got wide, 'oh crap' this wasn't going well. He walked over closer; he didn't need Wyatt to start listing his crimes. The only thing he was getting punished for before was not doing the assignment, now Wyatt was thinking about Chris lying to him. That wasn't going to bode well for his butt!

Chris continued to plead as he got closer, "I'm sorry, Wy. It won't happen again. Please…" He stopped in front of his brother.

Wyatt sighed as he said, "It better not." Then his eyes went from Chris's eyes to the button on his jeans and then back to Chris's.

Chris huffed as he looked up at the ceiling. He knew what that meant and he had no desire to drop his pants; but Wyatt was going to get his way and Chris didn't want to start adding to the charges. They hadn't even discussed his assignment pad. He reached up, undid his jeans and pushed them down. He reminded himself that this was better than Wyatt removing his ability to orb. If he wasn't grounded then they could still go out tonight. Besides, he was still wearing his boxers. He didn't have to stand there long before Wyatt pulled him over his lap and started the spanking.

The first swat elicited a grunt from him but he was determined not to cry. There was no way was he going to act like a baby!

Both brothers were silent as Wyatt got into rhythm with the spanking. He knew just how far he had to go to get through to Chris. This wasn't his first time having to spank the boy. Soon Chris began to squirm to try to miss the hand raining down on him; but Wyatt had a firm grip on his waist. Finally Chris threw his hand back to protect his butt. Wyatt merely grabbed it and held it at the small of his back never missing a beat.

Chris was really beginning to struggle now and he quickly decided against the decision to remain stoic, "Wy, please, I'm sorry…" He cried out.

'Good, this is where he needed to be', Wyatt thought, you had to get into Chris's head one way or another. "Sorry for what, Little Brother?" Wyatt asked still spanking.

Chris's squirming turned into an outright fight to get free as he said, "For not doing the English paper!" He was kicking now and his jeans flew across the room.

Wyatt kept going, "Uh huh; what else?"

Chris was still thrashing and now had both hands within Wyatt's firm grasp, "Owww, Wy, please stop. I'm sorrrrrrry."

Wyatt only said, "What. Else." Each word was followed by a firm smack.

Chris was crying now and not struggling as much, "For not getting the assignment pad filled out, and for lying to you…" Chris was openly crying now with his head hung down and all the fight had left him. Then he whispered out, "and… and for saying you weren't my father."

Wyatt nodded, Chris needed to get it all out or he would feel guilty for it later. They were almost done. Wyatt's hand left no area of the boxer clad butt unscathed, "Are you going to complete that paper?"

Chris nodded his head, "yesssss, sirrrr…"

Wyatt didn't stop, "Are you going to get that assignment pad filled out every day?" The words 'every' and 'day' were each accentuated with a smack.

Chris sniffled saying, "oww, yessss, yes sirrrr"

Wyatt raised his one leg and lowered the other. Chris's struggle flared back up as he screeched, "Noooo."

As Wyatt aimed for the sit-spot, he said, "Are you going to lie to me again?"

Chris howled at the attack to the tender undercurve. "Ahhhhh, nooooo, sirrrrr, never again, I promise, please, Wy… Please. No moreeee."

Wyatt landed three more hard swats to the sit-spot. He wasn't going to ask about the 'not being his father' part. It was a sore subject for both of them and he was sure it would come up again. No need to punish the kid over it. He stopped the spanking and rubbed Chris's back.

"Ok, it's over now." Wyatt said soothingly.

Chris was still crying. Wyatt hated hurting him like this but the boy had to learn. "Shhh, it's ok." Wyatt said.

Chris sniffled and said, "I'm sorry, Wy."

Wyatt helped him up into a cradled position with his tender butt hanging off Wyatt's leg so he wasn't sitting on it. This was the only time Chris would let him hold him like this. He hugged him close and said. "It's ok, you're forgiven. Just keep your promise and you will stay out of this position."

Chris chuckled softly into Wyatt's shirt but didn't let go. They both sat there for a while in silence.

Wyatt finally started to scoot Chris off him and place him on the mattress saying, "Come on, Grandpa is going to be home soon."

Chris hastily wiped his eyes and said, "You're not going to tell him, are you?"

Wyatt paused, he really should, but Chris was always so embarrassed by spankings, instead he said, "No, I won't tell him. You just get that paper done." And he stood up.

Chris insolently said, "Yes sir."

Wyatt shook his head. That was completely different than the response given before. He gently swatted Chris's butt, "Watch it, little boy," but ruined the threat with the playful smile. He did add seriously, "I mean it, though; I want that report done this weekend. I have things to do tonight, so I won't be here to watch you."

Chris held back the smile that was threatening. They were still going to be able to go out after all! Instead he said, "I got it." Wyatt looked back at him with raised eyebrows and Chris said, "I promise."

Wyatt pointed his finger at him meaningfully and then left the room.

Chris waited a few beats, wiped his hand over his eyes and then under his nose before picking up the phone and dialing. When the other end answered he said, "Seth, we're set. I just gotta wait for Wyatt to go out first."

Seth paused for a moment trying to figure out what was different about Chris's voice before dismissing it, "Wow, great! You took so long I thought for sure you were grounded."

Chris stopped before answering him, there was no way he was going to tell Seth that Wyatt had just spanked him! The pause kinda gave him away.

Seth warily asked, "You didn't get grounded, right, because if you did and Wyatt finds out we're toast!" Seth had seen how protective Wyatt was over Chris and had no desire to incur his wrath.

Chris breathed out a sigh of relief; Seth didn't know about the spanking, "No, I didn't get grounded! I have my orbs and all." He laughed, more to throw Seth off than thinking it was funny. "But if we get caught that is another matter entirely!" Then they both laughed, probably the thrill of doing something dangerous. Not to mention the fear of getting caught. Even Seth's dad, Derek, would be pissed to find out they went out demon hunting! Not only tonight but they had been sneaking out for years. They would both be grounded for months if they were ever found out. And that isn't to say it would be Chris's only punishment, Chris thought as his hand ghosted over his boxers. He didn't even want to think about THAT spanking.

Seth brought him out of his thoughts as he asked, "Remember that time we went after those Sludge demons?" They both laughed at the memory.

Chris said, "Oh, man, I thought for sure your dad had us figured out when he spotted that slime still in your hair!"

Seth smiled and said, "That's right! I sooo would have been in for it if it weren't for you! That story you came up with was perfect! What was it, some girl in homeroom trying out her new hair gel? Oh my God that was so funny! Dude, if you hadn't so quick with that lie I might still be grounded over that one! How the hell did you get so good with the deceit, man?"

Chris grinned smugly and said, "You have met my big brother, haven't you? How do you think we get to go out at all! If I hadn't learned the fine art of redirection I think I would be in a gilded cage by now." They both laughed out loud as they continued to share their demon hunting experiences.

Wyatt had gone up to the attic to research the Book of Shadows. He had been teaching Chris some of their Wiccan ways, a few spells here, a few potions there but mostly he kept Chris protected from that. He didn't want to put him in any danger. Besides, if things kept going as Wyatt had planned it wouldn't matter that Chris had been sheltered. Wyatt knew that if you had enough power you could rule the underworld and tonight's meeting was lining up a few things to that end. He flipped through a few more pages and stopped at the Demon of Fear. It was Friday the thirteenth, he really should do something about this demon, he knew Barbas liked to wreak havoc on witches even more so on this superstition filled day. He was glad that Chris would be home tonight. One less thing to worry about, he thought as he flipped to the page he needed to read.

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

**Chinatown 2018**

Piper set down the journal she had been scouring, she looked around the dingy room she had been calling home for the past fourteen years. She picked up the china bowl of water and said a few words making the tiny bowl a looking glass into other times and places. She learned this little trick from the Zen Master An Ling. She had owed the former Charmed one a favor once, but has since paid for it tenfold. Parlor tricks aside, An Ling had also allowed her to stay here in Chinatown and helped to keep her hidden. She paid her own way, working as a cook and helping with the shop but she missed her babies. The tears started to build as thought of the children she had given up. She peered into the bowl and watched as scenes flickered past: A young Wyatt and Chris playing with their Grandpa; a birthday celebration at the manor with entire family; well, entire family minus her and Leo. She brushed away the stray tear that fell and concentrated on her boys, she wanted to know what was going on currently. She watched as the looking glass turned into a picture of her little peanut as he lay on his bed laughing and talking on the phone. She guessed he wasn't that little anymore. She had missed so much. She wouldn't dwell though; anything she had to do to keep him safe would make it all worth it in the end. She gave a small smile. She never thought she would be an 'end justifies the means' kind of person. Besides, he was happy, right? That is all that really mattered. He would never have to grow up in that horrible world her whitelighter Chris had described. No, she was doing the right thing. This would keep him safe. If only those thoughts could mend her broken heart. She allowed another tear to fall as she watched her baby for a moment longer. She brushed that tear away and refocused her energy. She made her choice a long time ago. This was the right thing for her boys.

Next she concentrated on Wyatt; her first born, the 'twice blessed.' She still worried about him. Over time she had seen him leaning toward the dark side of magic. He was a little too comfortable with the underworld and he had made some questionable friends. She glanced back at the journal and the diary from the future Piper that Leo had given her. Some of the things she saw, future Piper had seen. They had the same worries. The difference was that this Piper knew what Wyatt's trigger was. This time there would be no way for that trigger to affect her boy. Even if she were to die, Wyatt wouldn't be there to see it, wouldn't be there to feel it. No, this time the world would be safe from the terror the twice blessed could cause. Besides she was here to watch and make sure nothing bad was going to happen. She watched as Wyatt stopped at the Demon of Fear page and she worried. He got a far off look in his eye for a moment before he turned the pages again. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She wasn't ready to watch her child face his worst fears; especially if he had to fight them alone.

TBC

**A/N: Yay, we are finally at the part that I was trying to explain in the first author's note. My story needed a beginning and those first four chapters were it. Thank you for allowing me to slowly get you there ;-) Now we can see the much more paternal side of Wyatt. **


	6. Chris in the Underworld

**Chapter 6**

**Chris in the Underworld**

Chris put a pillow on his chair and started flipping through his Romeo and Juliet novel. God how he hated Shakespeare! He wondered around his room with the book in his hand. He was going to avoid sitting for as long as possible; but he did have to complete this paper or deal with Wyatt. That was something he REALLY didn't want to face again. He looked through the book. Maybe he should write a 'what if' approach. What if the two lovers didn't die; instead had a couple of sons? With everything against them and their union they would eventually have to abandon their boys. This would cause their youngest son to hate his father and really miss his mom.

He was brought out of his musings when Wyatt came to his door. "You know you are going to have to sit down and write it eventually." He said as he watched Chris wander around his room with the book.

Chris had his back to Wyatt and didn't turn around. "I know and I will. I already armed myself." He pointed to the chair and then covertly wiped the tears in his eyes that were caused by the thoughts of his missing mother as Wyatt checked out the seating arrangements.

"Ahhh, always prepared. You shoulda been a boy scout." Wyatt said as he crossed the room. He ruffled Chris's hair and said, "So long as you get it done. I'm going out for a while."

Chris blushed at Wyatt's comment. "Ugh, I will, just go already." He told him as he watched Wyatt walk out of the room.

"Don't be up too late." Wyatt called up to him.

Chris yelled back, "Ok, Dad!" and then immediately regretted it.

He inhaled quickly, ready to apologize when Wyatt yelled back, "Funny, Chris, very funny." And then he heard the door shut. Chris breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to readdress the earlier conversation.

Chris looked back at the desk chair and sighed again. He smiled when he had his next thought. He picked up the pen and put it to the paper and said the words:

"Secrets of two whose love was so bright

My ideas of a story you will now write."

With that the pen began to write the story that Chris had just thought up. He watched as the words filled the pages. He should have done this from the beginning! He certainly wouldn't be nursing a sore butt right now if he had turned this paper in. As the pen dropped and he looked over the finished work another thought occurred to him. If Wyatt knew he had used his magic to complete homework he would never sit again! Oh well, what Wyatt didn't know wasn't going to hurt Chris! He straightened the pages and set them back down. He went and got out the clothes he would be wearing for the night and messed up his bed making it look like someone was sleeping in it. If, by chance, Wyatt made it home before him then he needed to make sure that it looked like he was there.

Chris headed downstairs to get something to eat. His grandfather was already in the kitchen. "Hey, Grandpa," he said as he headed to the fridge.

His grandfather set down the newspaper he had been reading and said, "Chris. How did your day go?"

Chris smiled, he loved his grandfather. Grandpa always made time for him. Chris gathered the ingredients to make a sandwich and said, "Not bad, glad it's over though! This has been a long week. You want a sandwich?"

Victor agreed to one and the two talked about everything and nothing that had happened during the previous week; he didn't even say anything when Chris ate his meal standing. He could see the red rims around Chris's eyes and considering he had already seen the note from Chris's teacher he figured out that Wyatt had handled the issue. There was no need for him to add to it.

"So, what do you have planned for this evening?" Victor asked him.

Chris considered for a moment telling him that he was going out with Seth but figured it was safer if Grandpa didn't know. What if he innocently brought up Chris not being there? Chris was supposed to be working on that paper, so that is what he said, "Ahh, I would rather go out but I need to finish my English paper."

Victor nodded, he thought so. As much as he would have liked to take the responsibility off Wyatt's shoulders he had to admit that Wyatt did a good job with Chris. No doubt the boy would have that paper written before morning. He picked up the newspaper again and said, "Ok, just don't stay up too late."

Chris was already walking out of the room when he said, "Ugh, not you too, Grandpa," then he laughed as he walked up the stairs. Victor smiled and then went back to reading.

Chris quickly changed his clothes and called Seth. "I'm on my way over right now."

Seth paused then said, "Oh hey Chris. Dad, Chris and I are going to meet at the library to get what we need for that English Lit paper."

Chris waited for the reply from Derek and then Seth said, "Ok, I'll meet you there. Bye." And the line went dead.

Chris laughed as he waited. He shut his door, really thankful that Wyatt wasn't home. There was no way he could hide the noise of him orbing out of his room from him. It sucked to try to get around Wyatt.

As he was musing the phone rang again, it was Seth, "Hey, sorry, my dad was in the room all wanting to chat. Ugh! Anyway, meet me at the park."

Chris agreed and orbed to the park by Seth's house. They couldn't hide the noise of the orbs from Derek either. Chris pushed down the bit of jealousy that wanted to rise thinking about Seth having a dad that cared. I mean, really, Chris had an awesome Grandpa and if he had to admit it a pretty great older brother.

Seth came up behind him and punched him in the shoulder, "You ready?"

Chris smiled and said, "Yep! I got the potions in the bag," he lifted the shoulder strap of the duffel bag he was holding and dropped it again. "Let's go kick some Flamer demon ass!"

The Flamer demon they were going after was a lower level demon that had the ability to throw flames. Not as powerful as one that could throw an energy ball more like strong enough to set a piece of paper on fire from across the room. Chris had researched them in the Book and had the vanquishing potion ready. This was more about having fun and kicking ass then actually causing any damage to the underworld. He and Seth would play around with him for a while before they actually vanquished him. They had been hunting lower level demons like him for years. Chris wished Wyatt would take him on vanquishes but there was no way he was going to 'put him in that kind of danger'. Yes, that was a direct quote. Please, he had plenty of powers and he could be an asset if Wyatt would just let him go! But no, Wyatt wanted to keep him safe so instead Chris and Seth would come down to the Underworld to play at vanquishing.

They were done playing and had just thrown the vanquishing vial at the Flamer demon. He wasn't very much fun, too stupid or too preoccupied to play.

"Well, well, well," They heard a voice behind them. "That wasn't very sportsman like."

The demon was closest to Chris. He looked human; a tall white man with graying hair and dressed in all black. He raised his hand to Chris and looked at him for a moment before saying, "What would your brother say?"

Shit! He looked over at Seth and mouthed, 'go!'

Seth shimmered out without another word but the demon said, "I don't think so." And Chris looked over towards him. Instead of seeing the demon he saw Wyatt. As Wyatt was walking towards him his look began to change, his hair became longer, his clothes turned to black and his facial expression hardened. He heard the demon say, "This is what your nightmares are about, aren't they? That your big brother will turn evil. There will be no way for you to stop him. He will destroy the world and kill the woman you love. That is what wakes you in a cold sweat." The demon continued to taunt him with what actually was Chris's biggest fear.

Chris watched as this older, scarier version walked towards him and he heard Wyatt say, "After everything I have done for you, you betray me?" With that Wyatt raised his arm and began to close his hand into a fist. Chris grabbed at his own throat, he was choking! Wyatt was going to kill him! Oh my God, he had dreamed this happening for as long as he could remember.

He fell to his knees saying, "Wyatt, please…" He couldn't get anything more out. The world was fading…

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Seth had shimmered out of the cave. They had seen that demon before in the Book of Shadows; he was the Demon of Fear. When Chris told him to go he knew just who he needed to get. He focused all his thoughts on Wyatt and shimmered to him.

Wyatt had just finished his meeting with a group of darklighters. Imagine his surprise upon seeing Chris's best friend shimmer to him in the underworld! He walked away from the darklighter group, grabbing Seth's arm and dragging him along.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Wyatt asked angrily. Wyatt's heart was racing; he had had a bad feeling earlier but figured it was just because he was worried about Chris. He hated when he had to close their bond but Chris would sense him going to the underworld if he had left it open.

Seth only said one word, "Chris…" and with the look on Seth's face Wyatt knew his baby brother was in trouble. He reopened their bond and nearly fell to his knees with the fear that was coursing over it.

He looked at Seth and said, "Go home."

Seth did as he was told, knowing it would be safer for both he and Chris if he did so.

Wyatt orbed to his little brother. What he saw broke his heart. Chris was clutching at his throat begging some invisible force to stop hurting him. As he ran up to him he heard Chris whisper, "Wyatt, please…" but Chris wasn't looking at Wyatt, he was staring at something Wyatt couldn't even see.

Wyatt saw Barbas and realized what was going on. He raised his hand and threw an energy ball at Barbas hitting him square in the chest. The voice that spoke was a deep commanding sound, nothing like the usual Wyatt as he said, "I would advise you to leave now."

The demon stared for a second then flamed away. There were easier prey out there to find and he was running out of time.

Wyatt got in front of Chris and grabbed his arms saying, in his normal voice, "That's not me, Chris; you know that I would never hurt you."

Wyatt shook him and said, "Come on Chris."

Chris blinked and looked at Wyatt and whispered, "Wy?" The scary evil Wyatt was gone and his big brother was in his place. He took in a deep breath and then hugged on to Wyatt. Wyatt hugged him back and petted a hand through his hair.

Chris started to cry saying, "You were evil and trying to kill me."

Wyatt hugged him tighter and said, "It's okay now. I'm not evil." Then he paused and pulled Chris away to look at him before he said, "Though I'm not so sure about the killing you part, what the hell are you doing in the underworld?"

Chris stepped back and said, "Oh God, Seth…"

Wyatt reassured him, "Don't worry, he's home, where we are heading." And with that he grabbed the back of Chris's collar and orbed them home. He orbed them right into Chris's room.

Wyatt flipped on a light while Chris was saying, "Wy…"

But Wyatt wasn't having it, "No, bed now. You can explain all this," He pointed to the unmade bed with a pillow masquerading as a body covered with a sheet, "to me tomorrow."

Chris said, "But Wy…"

Wyatt interrupted him saying, "You know, you should take me up on the offer because right now I would actually rather just skip to the punishment phase but I don't think you're really up for another round over my knee."

Chris blushed furiously and crawled into bed, pulling his pillow out as he made himself more comfortable. Chris could feel the anger and disappointment flowing over their bond. It was like Wyatt had actually amped it up just to make sure he knew.

"Goodnight, Christopher." Wyatt said as he got to the door.

"Wy…" Chris called out before he shut the door.

Wyatt paused, and Chris said, "I'm sorry."

Wyatt looked back at him sadly, "Uh huh, but not as sorry as you're going to be." And he shut the door.

Chris dropped his head on his bed. Man he was in so much trouble. What had he been thinking? Wyatt had all but told him to stay home due to their earlier altercation. Instead he went down to the underworld to play around and Wyatt had to save him from the Demon of Fear. Ugh, this was so not good.

His next thought was Seth.

He picked up his cell phone. The call was answered up on the first ring, "Chris, are you ok?"

Chris nodded even though he knew Seth couldn't see it, "Yeah, I am now. Thanks for getting Wyatt."

Seth took in a deep breath and said, "Man, I have never been so scared! You sure you're going to be alright?"

Chris winced, "Well, I am tonight, but I'm not so sure after Wyatt gets done with me tomorrow."

Seth answered jokingly, "Oh, man, I wouldn't want to be you!"

He had no idea, Chris thought.

"Give me a call later to tell me how long you are going to be grounded for," Seth told him.

Chris laughed, "I will if I can but if not I will see you Monday. Glad the demon didn't get ya!" he said and hung up. He lay back down on the bed. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed the morning would never come.

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Wyatt paced in his room. He had never been so scared in his life. Not only did he feel Chris's fear but Wyatt knew that his own worst fear was losing Chris. Nothing else even compared to that fear. He paced some more. It was good that he decided to wait until tomorrow to discuss this with Chris. If he had to deal with him now he would kill him. He really needed to wait and think about this tomorrow. He needed to allow himself to calm down so he could rationally and thoroughly beat the hell out of his brother for defying him like he had just done. The underworld! He was playing around in THE UNDERWORLD! He got caught by Barbas and almost DIED! If Seth hadn't gotten Wyatt, Chris would be dead. Wyatt put his fist through the wall. He put his hand back down and tried to calm himself. This wasn't going to help, he needed to stop thinking about what had happened with Chris and refocus his energy on the meeting he attended.

Once he had everything in place he would be able to keep Chris safe. Tonight the Darklighters showed that they could be organized. He felt himself calming as he thought about his plan. His mother and aunts had it wrong. It wasn't about good and evil. No, it was all about power and whoever had the most power won! He was going to have the most power. He was the Twice-Blessed, heir to Excalibur and he would have the power to keep his baby brother safe! With those thoughts he lay down on his bed and fell asleep, secure in the knowledge that he had everything under control. He would deal with Chris tomorrow.

TBC


	7. Dealing with Wyatt

**Chapter 7**

**Dealing with Wyatt**

Morning came too quickly for Chris's liking. He heard his grandpa getting up and ready for work. Once he heard him leave he got up and went downstairs to make some breakfast. Sure, it wasn't going to change Wyatt's mind about punishing him but it might soften the blow. He was almost finished making the blueberry pancakes when Wyatt wandered down into the room.

"This isn't going to change anything, you know." Wyatt said.

Chris froze but said, "I know." He quickly finished cooking the remaining pancakes in the pan and set everything down on the table. He poured Wyatt and himself a cup of coffee then gently sat down, thinking about the fact that sitting was going to be a thing of the past in a short while.

"I know it doesn't change anything, I just wanted…" Chris said.

Wyatt finished with, "You just thought you could bribe me. Fine, we will eat then we can discuss your unusual choice of nighttime activities."

Chris looked down; he was so in for it. Maybe he should have tried to fake being sick. No that would never work, not with Wyatt being able to heal and all.

He was shaken out of his musings when Wyatt ordered, "Eat!" He mechanically placed pancakes on his plate and ate without tasting anything. The only thought going through him was Wyatt was going to kill him.

Wyatt watched as Chris shoveled food into his mouth. He wasn't talking or even looking up at Wyatt. Wyatt knew Chris was worried about his punishment and with good reason! Wyatt allowed his feelings to flow over their bond. He had learned a long time ago to partially close the bond so that Chris wasn't aware of what he had been up to. What he didn't realize was that went both ways. He had no idea what Chris had been up to. But today Chris needed to understand exactly how much trouble he was in so the bond was wide open. Wyatt watched as Chris played with the same square of food for a few minutes before deciding it was time to discuss last night's events.

He stood up and picked up his and Chris's plates deposited them into the sink and said, "Ok, start at the beginning."

Chris bit his lip and mumbled, "Well, last night we…"

Wyatt interrupted him saying, "Christopher, you are about to get a spanking like no other you have ever received."

Chris squirmed at the statement.

Wyatt continued, "So you may as well start at the beginning and don't even think about lying to me."

Chris's eyes shot up to Wyatt's. Oh man he was in for it. Wyatt knew! He knew there was more than just last night. How much he knew was the question. Chris was a good liar, but if he left out something that Wyatt knew he was done for. So he took the bull by the horns and told the complete truth. Maybe if he drew it out long enough he wouldn't have to share everything, though. I mean, it wasn't lying, not really; just leaving out a few details here and there.

"We have been going after lower level demons." Chris began.

Wyatt felt his hand close by its own volition. He needed to know everything if he was going to keep the kid safe. "For how long?" Wyatt asked.

Chris hedged, that was the question, and he really didn't want to tell him the exact number. No matter what Wyatt was saying Chris was sure his spanking could be worse. Chris looked down and whispered, "Years."

Wyatt jumped up. He had been thinking this had been going on for a few weeks, maybe months but years? No way! The boy was only fourteen! How old was Chris when he started risking his life for fun? Wyatt tried to ignore the little voice inside his head that whispered that Wyatt was a toddler when he was vanquishing demons in the underworld. Something tugged at his mind, a face of a young man. Someone familiar to him, someone he trusted, someone that died in front of him while trying to save him from the Elder.

Wyatt pushed away the thought. He needed to deal with Chris right now not some phantom memory from his past. "Years?" He shouted. "Years? What the hell were you thinking? You could have been hurt or killed!"

Chris quietly breathed out an inaudible sigh of relief; at least Wyatt wasn't asking exactly how many years. He whispered, "I'm sorry, Wy."

Wyatt looked at Chris and decided he wasn't going to pull any punches, "You could have gotten Seth killed. You know that right?" Chris winced but Wyatt continued, "Those demons weren't playing, they don't always fight fair and they don't always fight the way the Book describes."

Chris hung his head; he never thought the Book could be wrong. He felt terrible but how was he supposed to know. He looked up at Wyatt; Wyatt felt the shift in mood over the bond, it went from fear and remorse to defiance. Chris stood up and shouted, "I would know that if you ever took me demon hunting with you! I have powers too, I could help you! But you leave me here like I am some piece of glass that could be broken!"

Wyatt quickly reached out and grabbed Chris up by his shirt collar and shoved him towards a wall. He was pissed! "Don't you dare raise your voice to me like that to me, Little Boy" he roared. "I don't know who you think you are dealing with but that just isn't going to fly with me. If I say it isn't safe then damn it, it isn't safe! I have been doing all this to protect you and you have been going around flagrantly risking your life and your friend's life like this is some kind of game."

Wyatt could feel the mood shift again; it went to shame and fear. Normally he didn't want Chris to fear him but right now that was probably a really good emotion. If he could at least make him fear the punishment then maybe the damn kid wouldn't do something so risky and stupid. He let go of the shirt and walked away.

Chris had been overwhelmed by the feelings coming over the bond. He never remembered them being so strong. He felt the disappointment when Wyatt first spoke with him in his room; there was some anger there, but nothing like the spike he felt of it when he yelled at his big brother. He was scared, a fear of Wyatt he had never felt before as he was lifted off the heels of his feet and pushed to the wall. The fear started to compete with his shame as Wyatt's words flowed through him. He hung his head as Wyatt walked away, tears threatening to fall. How was he going to fix this? His brother had never been so angry with him. Chris thought he had seen all of Wyatt Halliwell's emotions due to sharing their unique bond but this combination was new and very strong. Anger flowed, with a strong undercurrent of disappointment. At least there wasn't hate. Chris couldn't deal with his brother hating him. One tear streaked down his face.

Wyatt spoke without turning around, "You know what, I really don't feel like discussing this after all."

'Oh crap,' Chris thought. This was not good, not good at all, "Wy, please, I'm sor…"

The next words out of Wyatt were clipped but effectively interrupted Chris, "NOT. AT. ALL."

Chris felt the anger spike again and knew that he was pushing it, "Wy…"

Wyatt didn't respond he didn't turn to look at Chris he just pointed to the stairs. The spike of anger didn't decrease with silence either.

Chris hung his head and walked to the stairs. He turned back once to say something but seeing the rigid stance of Wyatt changed his mind. He walked up to his room and promptly found a corner and stood there. His shoulders slumped and he sighed; he would probably be standing here for a while.

Wyatt felt Chris's level of fear rise with each wave of his own spike of anger. It was a good idea to open their bond. The kid needed to realize exactly how much trouble he was in and to not make it any worse. Wyatt could literally kill Chris right now. How dare he shout at him! He had been doing all this, the parenting, the protecting, the dealings in the underworld, everything for Chris and he DARES to yell? He could have choked the life out of him as he stood there! Wyatt blinked as he realized he wasn't talking about the kind of, 'I could kill you but not really' anger. He was speaking about blinding rage. He could have actually killed Chris today as he stood there defying him. Wyatt needed to kill something. Now! First he reached through his bond and shut it down. He orbed to the underworld and used his energy balls to vanquish an entire cave full of lower level demons. It wasn't enough; he found another, then another till finally he calmed some. He had to get control of himself! This was Chris he was talking about, Chris, his baby brother that should be in trouble for what he did, not for standing up to Wyatt. That is what kids do, they lash out. He calmed more and more as he thought about Chris when he was little. He thought about everything he had done to keep him safe. There was no way he would be the one to hurt Chris now. He orbed back to the manor into the kitchen. He sensed for Chris and knew he was still in his room. Good thing. He picked up the dishes off the table and started to clean. He didn't use his powers to help him. He needed the time and energy it required to be able to be calm enough to deal with Chris.

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Chris stood, in his room, facing a corner feeling the anger flow from Wyatt. He could feel himself shiver a little from the coldness of it. It actually felt stronger then anger. Chris searched his mind for a better word for the emotion he was feeling. If he had to catalog it… he would call it fury. His eyes shot open with the realization. Before he could ponder it anymore the feeling was gone. Chris was left alone with his fear and shame. Then he heard Wyatt orb from the house. He didn't think he could feel any worse. He thought about calling Seth; heck, he thought about sitting down. He hated standing in a corner and Wyatt knew it! That was probably why it was used so much. Damn effective punishment. Sounds so innocuous but standing here for minutes, Chris sighed, or hours he thought as he frowned, was painful. Not only did your feet and legs hurt but it hurt your heart. You could do nothing except think about what you had done and how much trouble you were in. He leaned harder against the wall. Right now he was feeling really stupid for challenging Wyatt.

Two hours passed before Chris heard Wyatt again. He didn't orb into Chris's room though. As much as Chris would love to put off his punishment he REALLY wanted to get out of this corner. He had gone over all this in his head and the only thing he would change was getting caught. Wyatt was never going to let him go demon hunting. The only way to get out there was going to be to sneak out and with the way he was caught it was going to be a long time before Wyatt let him out of his sight or sense for that matter. He was going to be very grounded for a very long time. He sighed again. He listened to hear what Wyatt was up to and heard the clinking of dishes. Apparently Wyatt, Mr. Head of the Household was doing dishes. Great, Wyatt felt he needed even more time to calm down. Chris shifted again on his legs.

With his mind wandering he thought about that paper he had written. Well, he thought about the paper he had his spell write for him. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed Wyatt didn't figure that out!

Wyatt finished the dishes and stood in the kitchen for a few minutes more. He was finally calm enough to deal with Chris. He was shocked at his own explosive nature. He was even more surprised at the anger he felt directed towards Chris. He couldn't let himself get that out of hand again. He took a deep breath to calm himself and looked around the kitchen once more. The kitchen always reminded him of cookies. He smiled. The feeling faded and he looked up at the ceiling as if he could see Chris from there. He opened a drawer, removed an item and headed for the stairs.

When Wyatt reached Chris's room the sight didn't surprise him. He would have actually been surprised to see Chris not doing what he was told. He had no doubt the boy knew how much trouble he was in. He was positive Chris had been standing in that same spot for the past two and half hours. He set his item down on the desk, pulled out the chair and sat down. The words he spoke were to Chris's back.

Chris had heard him coming but was waiting. He had been waiting for a long time, he wasn't about to make his situation worse by back talking right now. That was of course until Wyatt actually spoke.

"You said you were never going to lie to me again," Wyatt told him.

Chris whipped around and stared at him open mouthed, "I didn't lie."

Wyatt pursed his lips and said, "No, you snuck out, went to the underworld and you and a friend nearly got killed by a demon."

Chris had the good sense to look ashamed.

Wyatt spoke again, "There will be consequences."

Chris nodded, "I know," he answered, still looking down.

"You will be grounded for two weeks." Wyatt said.

Chris didn't look up, that actually didn't sound so bad. Two weeks wasn't a very long time.

"So that will be two weeks of you either being at school or here. No phone, no friends over." Wyatt paused in his explanation before he said, "No magic."

That got Chris, he looked up. Oh God, Wyatt was going to bind his powers and leave him defenseless!

Wyatt didn't need the bond to understand the emotion written across Chris's face. "No, I am not taking away your magic," Wyatt answered.

Chris thought, 'great now he can read minds.'

Wyatt continued, "You will be responsible for not using it, not once. I catch you using magic for anything other than self-defense and we will to go straight to punishment plan B."

Chris scrunched his eyes, "What's plan B?" It had to be worse than losing magic for two whole weeks but Chris couldn't think of anything worse.

Wyatt gave him a dark stare before saying, "Plan B is that instead of being grounded from magic you get a spanking every night for two weeks and I will bind your powers."

Chris blushed furiously. He was wrong. There was something worse than losing his magic for two weeks.

Wyatt wasn't finished handing out his punishment, "Don't worry though, you will be getting a spanking with plan A."

Chris didn't think he could blush any harder than he was already doing, of course he would be getting a spanking, Chris couldn't imagine Wyatt not finding this crime not worthy of a sp- you know.

Wyatt then said, "You will need the two weeks to recover."

Chris looked up to Wyatt but Wyatt wasn't looking at him. Chris followed his eyes to a wooden spoon that was lying on the desk. Chris stared at it in horror then looked up to Wyatt pleadingly, "Wy, you can't sp- punish me with that." That wasn't an ordinary spoon. That was a thick, heavy spoon that looked positively evil!

Wyatt asked, "Why is it that I can't spank you with that." He put a little more force than necessary on the 's' word in Chris's opinion.

Chris's eyes were still wide, "But… but you… you spanked me yesterday!" Chris was beginning to panic. He wasn't sure he could handle another spanking at all; he was SURE he couldn't handle one with that paddle that masqueraded as a wooden spoon.

"And whose fault was that?" Wyatt asked, tauntingly.

Chris looked from the spoon to Wyatt and back again to the spoon, "Wy, I'm sorry. Please, I can't…"

Wyatt spoke again, this time with more authority, "Whose fault is it that you got a spanking yesterday?" Again with more emphasis on that horrible word.

Chris looked down at the floor before whispering, "Mine."

Wyatt nodded his head and then asked, "And why did you get a spanking?"

Chris's eyes flashed to him and saw him looking at the report. His eyes dropped again, damn, he knew! He knew that the report was finished with magic! "Because I didn't do my English paper," Chris mumbled out.

Wyatt answered, "Uh huh. And do you want to explain to me how you finished the paper AND had the time to gallivant in the underworld?"

Chris opened his mouth to speak but Wyatt spoke first, "Lie to me and you will be getting that spanking with a bar of soap in your mouth."

Chris's mouth snapped close. Yep, he knew. "Ididaspell," was Chris's jumbled reply.

Wyatt said, "Wanna try again with words this time?"

Chris sighed and hung his head even lower, "I did a spell."

Wyatt simply nodded saying, "Uh huh, thought so." Actually, the thought had only just occurred to him. Chris was perfectly capable of writing a report that quickly. He would not have been surprised for Chris to say he had written it and then gone out. If Wyatt were completely honest, he was rather proud of Chris's spell writing ability; that was a good report.

Wyatt picked the papers up, tore them in half and threw them away. "When we finish with your spanking you will **sit** here, without a pillow," he warned, "and write out two hundred times, 'I will not use magic for personal gain.' When you finish writing that you will **sit** here," each time the word sit had been dramatically emphasized, "and write this report again, long hand."

Chris just nodded his head and mumbled, "Yes sir," knowing he was getting off pretty easy for doing something so stupid.

Wyatt then picked up the dreaded spoon, "And this," Wyatt paused and Chris stared at the spoon with horror, "Will be used if you ever sneak out to the underworld again."

Breathing a sigh of relief Chris said, "Thanks Wy."

Wyatt chuckled, "Only you, Little Brother, would thank me for a spanking."

And Chris was blushing again.

"Ok, might as well get it over with," Wyatt said as he walked over to Chris's bed.

While Wyatt was sitting Chris looked longingly at the door. Wyatt looked up and seeing where Chris's attention was said, "You're welcome to try to run, but when I catch you, you are going to be one very sorry little boy."

Chris looked back at Wyatt and knew he meant what he said so instead Chris said, "Uh, no, I'm good," but he made no move to get closer to Wyatt.

Wyatt sighed, he didn't like spanking Chris. While it was effective, it also hurt him and Wyatt really hated to hurt Chris. Wyatt needed to concentrate on the reason they were in this mess to start with. He started ticking off reasons quickly in his head: Chris, underworld, demon almost killing him. Yep, that was all he needed to gather the strength to do what needed to be done.

"The longer we wait here, the worse it is going to be," Wyatt informed him.

"I'm coming," Chris said as he reluctantly edged closer.

As he shuffled along Wyatt made the customary look from Chris to his jeans and back to Chris again.

Chris moved his hand up to his button but instead of opening it he started to plead, "Please, Wy, please, don't make me take off my jeans…"

Wyatt gave him an annoyed look and said, "We can always go with plan B."

He almost laughed as Chris stopped and frantically shook his head. He should have thought up a plan B long ago! It would have saved him from all the yelling and threats!

Chris stood and looked at Wyatt. He was close but not close enough. "Don't make me start counting." Wyatt said. He had a firm picture in his mind of Chris choking to death because of the Demon of Fear. No way was he going easy on the boy. Another minute passed by and Wyatt said, "One."

Chris finally started shuffling forward again. He was close enough now but still had a death grip on his jeans.

"Wy, please…" Chris whined.

But Wyatt only said, "Two. You do know what will happen when I get to three don't you?" He didn't pause for an answer, "I will walk over there and get that spoon…"

Chris quickly undid his jeans and pushed them down as he exclaimed in a huff, "Fine!" Knowing that Wyatt would go get that spoon and would still take down his pants and he really did not want that.

Before he could right himself again Wyatt had Chris pulled over his lap and had started the spanking. Chris was under no delusion that he would be able to stay quiet this time and started pleading immediately, "Oww, Wy, not so hard, ugh, please, stop. I won't do it again, please…"

Wyatt ignored the begging and asked, "Why are we here, Chris?"

Chris couldn't help himself, "Because we live here."

The next two smacks were as hard as Wyatt could manage; that smartass! "What?" he said as he made the blows.

"Oww," Chris cried out, "I mean because I went to the underworld."

The spanking continued as Wyatt said, "And?"

Now Chris wasn't sure what he wanted, he really thought that was the reason for this spanking. The report was being punished with the writing of lines so he guessed, "Because I took Seth with me?"

Wyatt continued raining the smacks down as he said, "You did, but why are you getting this spanking?"

Chris would have cringed at the word if he weren't struggling so hard to avoid the stinging hand targeting his butt. "Oww, Wy, I don't know why else, ahh, stop. No more, please."

Wyatt continued with the spanking. He wanted Chris to really get this, "I think you do know," he said as he kept the same tempo.

'NO! I don't damn it,' Chris thought as he struggled and pleaded. 'God, just stop,' he silently prayed, 'I mean I almost died yesterday and you… OH… that was why'. "Because, oww, because I got caught by a demon and almost died," Chris answered quickly.

Wyatt said, "Yes. That is exactly why we are here." He reached up and pulled Chris's boxers down.

Chris screamed "Nooooooo!" as he threw his hands back to protect his now bare butt.

Wyatt easily grabbed both hands and held them in one of his to the small of his back as he said, "And I NEVER want to see that happen again." Wyatt spanked him hard covering every inch of his now very red butt.

Chris cried as he said, "Ok, I get it, it won't happen again. Please stop…"

Wyatt kept the picture of Chris in his mind as he said, "I never want to see you in the underworld without me! You will never put yourself in that kind of danger again!" He applied the next round of swats to the tender undercurve.

All the fight had left Chris as he sobbed, "Yesssss, sirrrrr, I won't, please Wy! Never, ever again."

'That didn't take very long', Wyatt thought, probably because of yesterday's spanking; but he placed a few more well aimed swats to the sit-spot so that he would be remembering this spanking for a while. He stopped and started to rub Chris's back.

Although the spanking had stopped, Chris was still begging, "Please, I'm sorry, Wy, so sorry." Wyatt helped right his boxers and turned him over to cradle him to his chest, careful of his sore bottom.

Chris grabbed a handful of Wyatt's shirt and snuggled in. Not only did that spanking REALLY hurt, he realized how scared Wyatt had been and he felt ashamed. Just this morning he had been thinking that he would have changed nothing except being caught; and although being caught put him in this position he was really sorry he had scared Wyatt so badly. He had completely forgotten that if it wasn't for his big brother he would be dead right now.

Wyatt rocked him slightly as he said, "It's ok, just don't do it again, Baby Brother."

Chris sniffled and said, "I won't, Wy, I promise." And allowed himself to be rocked to sleep.

When Chris woke up he was laying on his stomach in the center of his bed. He went to roll over and winced as his butt let him know that was a really bad idea. He rolled back to his stomach and lifted his head. He saw a piece of paper lying next to him. He read it and rolled his eyes:

_Chris, I mean it about the lines and the English paper. If I check _

_on you, you better be __sitting__ in that chair writing. ~Wy_

He looked over at the chair and laid his head back on the bed. Did he really have to underline the sitting? I mean, REALLY? He was never going to use a spell for homework again. He crawled out of the bed and gingerly walked to the chair. It scraped the ground as it moved; he gave the seat a disgusted look as if it was its fault for his current predicament. He ever so gently lowered himself down and hissed as his butt hit the wood. He picked up his pen and began to write, "I will not use magic for personal gain," for the first of TWO HUNDRED times. Ugh!

Wyatt felt and heard Chris wake up. He waited to see if the boy would follow the rules. Standing really still and holding his breath; finally he heard the chair scrape across the old floor. He let out the breath he had been holding, and gave a low chuckle as he heard Chris's hiss. At least he didn't have to go back up there to set him straight. He smiled as he thought about Chris. He really was a good kid and if he had to admit it, a great witch. Chris was right that Wyatt sometimes treated him like he was made of glass. Maybe he should start taking him out demon hunting. It would help him to be able to protect himself better and if Wyatt took him he wouldn't have to go sneaking around to go out demon hunting with only a half manitcore for back-up! Well, Wyatt mused, it was something to think about.

Chris finally finished his English paper. It really wasn't that hard, he should have just written it in the first place. He glanced over at the lines Wyatt made him write as he rubbed his butt; yep, he was never using magic for personal gain again. If the cramp in his hand hadn't convinced him the pain of sitting that long sure did the trick. He had never in his life wished for the ability to heal more than he did while sitting doing his writing assignments!

TBC


	8. Dealing with Family

**Chapter 8**

**Dealing with Family**

Chris heard the front door open and a yell of "Anybody home?"

A smile came across his face, Aunt Paige. He didn't know if Wyatt was still home or not so he yelled, "I'll be down in a second." He ran quickly to wash his face. He didn't want any evidence of his earlier crying to show. Aunt Paige would definitely ask about it and that was the last thing he wanted to explain. Not that he wouldn't mind finding out if he had an ally in his desire to go demon hunting but he would rather die than explain Wyatt had just spanked him over it!

He walked down the stairs and joined her in the kitchen. She had already made herself a cup of coffee and was sitting at the table. "Hey, where are the kids?" he asked.

She reached out to him while saying, "What, no hug for your Auntie Paige?"

He rolled his eyes as she pulled him in for a quick squeeze and kissed his head. She then explained, "Well, Henry Jr. had a soccer game and the twins wanted to go so Uncle Henry took them all while I thought I would spend time with one of my two favorite nephews." She took a sip of her coffee and then asked, "So, how is school going?"

Chris froze mid reach for a cup and swung around to look at her.

Her normal look went quickly to concern and he realized she had no idea why a simple question like that could evoke such a reaction. "What's going on, Chris?" she asked.

Damn, just what he DIDN'T want to do, explain the situation. He was thinking that Wyatt had said something to her, ugh, so stupid! He carefully placed his mask of nonchalance and said, "It's nothing, I'm…" Well now he had to tell her something, "I'm kinda grounded for not finishing an English assignment."

Paige chuckled, "Kinda grounded, huh? I don't think you can be 'kinda' grounded. It's like being 'kinda pregnant', either you are or you're not."

Chris blushed and said, "Well then I guess I am definitely grounded for two weeks." He turned around to get his coffee cup again and finished pouring himself some.

Paige said, "Wow, that's a little harsh for missing one assignment."

Chris didn't think he could blush any harder but he was wrong. "Yeah, well, I also went into the underworld and gotcaughtbythedemonoffear." He mumbled out making the last part one big word. Man, could he fess up any harder? He hadn't meant to tell her about the demon! Somehow when Aunt Paige came around words just started pouring out of his mouth.

Paige said, "Wanna try that one again?"

Chris finished fixing his coffee as he explained, "I went into the underworld and got caught by the Demon of Fear. Wyatt had to save me and now he's pissed."

Paige's eyes widened and she said, "Oh my God, Chris! What were you thinking? You could have been killed!"

Chris sunk his head in defeat, "I know, I know. It was stupid. I promise it won't happen again. Now I'm grounded without magic for two weeks." He didn't mention the spanking. Chris snorted and said, "Wyatt also said if I do it again he will bind my powers."

Paige nodded; she should have known it was Wyatt to set down the punishment. The boy shouldn't have that responsibility but he wouldn't let anyone else shoulder it. Lord knows she and Phoebe had tried and she was sure Victor was still trying. She decided since Wyatt had already handled the situation, she would let Chris off the hook and said, "Well that sucks! I was going to have you come over and work on some of your powers but I guess we will just have to wait until you finish doing your time." She gave him a nudge with her elbow.

Chris's smile lit up the entire room, "Really?" he reached out, hugged her and said, "Thanks, Aunt Paige!"

He leaned against the counter as they discussed what they could work on. Paige understood orbing and orbing things telekinetically. She asked if he had come in to any new powers recently that they should work on and explained that sometimes as the powers grew stronger they seemed like different powers completely. "Like when your mom got the power to blow things up. See it was just a continuation of her ability to freeze, just this time speeding up the molecules. Anyway, she was afraid to freeze someone for fear of blowing them up but she eventually got control of it. And once she had control of it, you couldn't hold her back. She even threatened to blow you, uh" She paused and then continued with, "Your dad, she threatened to blow up your dad. Actually she did blow him up, frequently."

Chris laughed out loud, seeming to have missed her momentary pause.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't like he could die since he was a whitelighter and all." She commented. They laughed as Paige filled him in with other stories.

He loved hearing things about his mom. All too soon it was time for Paige to go. She gave him a quick hug and messed up his hair. He thought he caught a sad look in her eye before she left but it was gone when he looked again.

Chris was making dinner when Wyatt came home. Wyatt came in and messed up his hair. What was it with his hair today? He knocked his hand away as Wyatt asked, "Hey kiddo, what were you up to today?"

Chris gave him a sarcastic look and said, "Like you don't know."

Wyatt dropped his smile and raised his eyebrows at the remark. Apparently it wasn't yet time to start joking about this morning.

Chris raised both his hands in defeat and said, "I finished the lines and the paper. No, I didn't use any magic."

Wyatt was still looking at him and said, "Uh huh, go get the lines."

Chris watched him for a second then ran upstairs to get them, ever so grateful he remembered just in time to not orb to do it. Wyatt didn't look in the mood to be tested with his 'no magic' rule and Chris REALLY didn't want to resort to plan B! He grabbed the lines he had written, all two hundred of them and ran downstairs, handing them to Wyatt.

Wyatt looked them over and handed them back saying, "Tear them up."

Chris closed his eyes so he didn't roll them at his brother and prayed, 'please, please, please don't make me rewrite them'. He took the papers and tore them in half and then in half again. He looked at his brother repeating the same mantra in his head.

Wyatt said, "Throw it away, and I mean it; it better not happen again!"

Chris's face broke into a wide smile and said as he ran towards the trash, "It won't, I promise."

Dinner was a quiet affair. Victor arrived home just in time to join them. That had been Chris's plan all along. Chris had covertly placed a pillow in his chair earlier so that he would actually be able to sit through dinner. Idle chatter filled the table until almost the end when Victor asked, "So what are you two up to this evening?"

Wyatt was the one to answer, "Well I have some work related meetings to go to but Chris here is going to be spending some quality time at home."

Chris gritted his teeth and said, "Wyatt."

This piqued Victor's interest, he thought the English paper incident had been resolved so he asked, "Really, how come?"

Wyatt was picking up the dinner dishes as he answered, "Seems someone thought it might be a good idea to visit the underworld last night."

Victor said, "Chris?" at the same time Chris growled out, "Wyatt!"

Wyatt continued as if he wasn't interrupted at all, "So it appears that this someone will be grounded without his magic for the next two weeks."

Chris all but yelled, "Wyatt!"

Wyatt merely looked at him and said "Christopher."

At the same time Victor asked, "Chris?"

Chris ignored his grandfather for the moment as he snarled, "Wyatt, could I speak with you for a moment?"

Wyatt looked him in the eye and quietly said, "If you don't change your tone we can always go with plan B."

A look of horror crossed Chris's face and he quickly decided to rein in the attitude. He took in a deep breath and said in a softer voice, "Please, Wyatt, can I speak with you?"

Wyatt smugly said, "Better," and led Chris out of the room.

When they were out of hearing range Chris asked, "I thought you said you weren't going to tell him?"

Wyatt replied, "That was yesterday, BEFORE the underworld and I didn't mention your spanking. Would you rather I explain that part to him?" He made a mock attempt to leave the room.

Chris grabbed his arm; Wyatt was having just too much fun with this, "No! I do NOT want you to tell him! ***I*** didn't want you to tell him as much as you did!"

Wyatt placed a comforting hand on Chris's shoulder and said, "Relax, I did it for your benefit. Now Grandpa won't be asking any questions on why you aren't using magic for the next two weeks."

Wyatt gave the shoulder a squeeze before letting go and started towards the stairs. Chris thought about what he said and realized he was right. Wyatt had given out just enough information so that Grandpa would understand but still didn't tell him the most embarrassing parts. Chris shyly added, "Thanks, Wy." He didn't apologize but it was implied.

"Anytime Bro, anytime. Oh, and I actually do expect you to be in bed when I get home." Wyatt said.

The "Yes sir," slipped out before Chris had a chance to censor it. It seemed that whenever he was responding to a command it just came out. He had no idea how Wyatt had managed that one! He just decided to chalk it up to the kind of parent Wyatt was. Chris chuckled at his own joke as he went back in the room with his grandfather to help finish up the dishes.

Victor was already washing the plates when Chris entered the room. He stopped, turned around and said, "Chris, tell me what is going on."

Chris blushed again, and man was that getting old, before he said, "It was nothing Grandpa."

Victor just looked at him and waited so he continued, "It was stupid. I was stupid. Me and my friend went to the underworld and Wyatt caught us, now I'm grounded and without magic for the next two weeks."

Chris was looking down as he explained what had happened so he was surprised when Victor's response had been a big hug. "Grandpa, it's ok, nothing happened." Chris said. Well nothing he was going to tell his grandpa about.

When Victor backed off there were tears in his eyes.

Chris's eyes scrunched in confusion as he asked, "Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Victor had walked off a little and was wiping at his eyes. Chris didn't understand this reaction. Victor said, "It already cost you your li…" Then he paused and Chris was more confused than ever before Victor started again saying, "Magic. It has already cost this family so much. I know you are powerful… just… be careful, ok?"

Chris was surprised, Grandpa didn't normally discuss magic. It was kinda a silent understanding that some things were just better left unsaid, but this was different. Chris felt that he was missing something; something big that even his Grandpa knew about. He was going to have to keep watching. Clues were bound to show up; clues like his Aunt Paige today and this, with Grandpa tonight. He was going to figure this one out; he just needed to keep his eyes open.

Chris went to bed not long after the dishes were finished. You would think that nap of his would have kept him up all night but apparently having nothing to do was tiring. He fell asleep trying not to count the days till he could use magic again. Sometime later he felt a kiss to his forehead and the covers lifted to his shoulder. He snuggled in deeper really glad he hadn't tried his 'unmaking the bed so it looked like someone was asleep' tonight, undoubtedly that was Wyatt checking on him and if he had to admit it, tucking him in.

In the morning when Chris awoke there was another note waiting for him:

_Chris, I didn't want you to get bored so I thought you could_

_work on cleaning the attic some today. ~Wy_

Yeah, like that was a suggestion. Chris didn't even want to think about what would happen if he decided being bored was more fun than cleaning. He ate a quick bowl of cereal and took his cup of coffee to the attic. He looked around the dusty room and sighed. The last thing he felt like doing was spending some time up here. It was like something was missing. He walked over to the Book of Shadows and stood behind the bookstand. It felt so familiar standing there, but he was rarely ever in here. Usually he would take the Book with him. He just wasn't comfortable in the attic. He looked down at The Book; it was open to the Vanishing spell. He read the spell in his head:

Let the object of objection become but a dream

As I cause the seen to be unseen.

Then he saw the folded paper below it. He opened the paper and saw:

_Yes, this is a test. Would you rather follow plan B? ~Wy_

Shit! He shut the Book feeling REALLY happy he didn't read that spell out loud! He walked away from the Book to the corner of the room that held all the old family heirlooms. He didn't feel like being tempted by magic right now, especially not after that note! He pushed around a bunch of boxes and started to go through them. Quite a few boxes had old clothes in them. Why were they keeping old clothes? Some of these things would be considered retro now, he laughed. Red platform boots, bandanas, old jewelry. The box said, "Penny." Well just great, they had stuff from his Great Grandmother. He really didn't feel comfortable throwing or even giving it away so he moved it to a corner. He went systematically through each box.

Hours later Chris came to a conclusion: Wyatt hated him. It was true, he sneezed again. Why else would he inflict such a horrible punishment on him? It wasn't bad enough to be grounded with no magic, oh no, he had to go through antique hell!

Finally he got closer to his own timeline. He saw a box marked, "Wyatt". He quickly opened that one! At least he might be able to find some blackmail material. Maybe it would even be enough to relieve him from his current nightmare. He smiled as he saw the little baby clothes saved. He picked up a red truck and paused. Hmmm, he could remember this. He shook his head; it was probably his when he was a baby too. This was quickly losing its fun. He was just about to give up when he hit pay dirt! A baby book! He set it to the side and put everything else back in the box. He considered orbing the book to his room but quickly thought better of it. No magic meant no magic. He took the book over to the couch and finished working on the boxes he had been arranging. The last box he picked up was labeled, "Chris". He slowly opened it. No one ever talked about him as a baby. He used to sometimes wonder if he actually had been brought by a stork and dropped off.

He picked up the baby blanket and saw the "P" embroidered in the corner. He thought about the stories of how Wyatt was supposed to be a girl. He laughed as he thought about the suggested "P" names that he had heard. He smiled brighter when he thought that Wyatt never got a "P" name. Chris carried the "P" with his middle name. He wondered why they chose to give him his paternal grandfather's name. Wyatt was named after their dad and Aunt Paige. Chris was given the name of Leo's dad; a man he would never meet. Well not that it mattered since he had never even met Leo! And his middle name was just some random "P" name. Guess they ran outta people to honor. Things could have been worse. It could have been Potter. Fortunately mom said no kid of hers was being named after a Wizard. How embarrassing would that be? A witch named Chris Potter, ok, Christopher Potter Halliwell, but still. He reached in further and found a soft lace dress. He stared at it in horror before realizing that it had been the family Wiccaning gown. With generations of daughters of course the thing was girlie looking, he assured himself. He went to put it back but below it was another baby book. This time it was his baby book. He pulled it out and set it on Wyatt's book. He quickly closed the boxes and restacked them neatly. He swept the area and threw away the obvious trash and broken pieces. He decided he could use a break; he had been working on this for hours now. It had nothing to do with him wanting to put those books in his room so he could check them out later; nothing to do with that at all.

He glanced at the back wall that he had just straightened out and decided he had made a decent enough dent. If Wyatt came home to find him eating some lunch he could show him how much work he had gotten done. He grabbed the two baby books and headed down the stairs taking a quick trip to his room to store the books. He set them on his desk and turned to leave. He stopped, looked back down at the books and then opened a drawer, placing them inside. He didn't want anyone hovering while he was looking at the books. That and he really didn't want to explain his need to see them.

He had just finished washing his hands so he could make a sandwich when Wyatt walked in the kitchen. "Hey, what have you been up to?" Wyatt asked him.

He bit back the sarcastic remark remembering how well that went over yesterday, "Working on the attic." He paused then thought he better bring it up, "Yes, I saw the spell. No I didn't use it." He gave Wyatt a big smile even though he really felt like smacking him.

Wyatt ruffled his hair and said, "Just checking, Little Brother."

Chris batted his hand away and asked him, "You eat yet?"

Wyatt smiled, "Not yet, will you make me one too? I want to take a quick shower first."

Chris nodded, "I can but don't take too long or I will eat all the chips."

Wyatt responded by orbing out of the room.

'Show off,' Chris thought as he continued to make their lunches. By the time Chris had laid their plates and drinks on the table Wyatt was back. They both sat down to eat.

Chris started the conversation by asking, "So whatcha been doing?"

Wyatt gave a half shrug and said, "Work stuff, nothing exciting. How about you? What you've done so far looks good."

Chris looked up feigning shock, "You checked? Color me surprised."

Wyatt pushed his shoulder, "Smart ass."

Chris grinned at him, he was glad he finished what he had been working on before taking the break. He knew Wyatt would check up on him. "You know, Wy, I am sure I can manage to fill my time. You don't need to come up with anything else for me to do."

Wyatt gave him a sly grin, "Aww, I wouldn't want you to get bored, what would you do, watch TV?"

Chris rolled his eyes and said, "I'm sure I can manage."

Wyatt grinned wider, "Nah, I was thinking next weekend you could do some yard work."

Chris dropped his head and cried out, "Ugh, come on!"

They both laughed for a moment before Wyatt said, "Hey, seriously though, I am proud of you for not using magic. It really was a test. I know it is your first instinct; you are a witch."

Chris looked up to him to see if this was the beginning of some kind of joke. He saw nothing in Wyatt's eyes to believe it was anything other than an actual compliment. Suddenly he felt their bond open and he felt the pride coming across it. His eyes got wide as he asked, "You've been controlling it?"

Wyatt gave him a small smile, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. If I hadn't I would have known a long time ago about you and Seth."

Chris looked down and mumbled, "Wy…"

Chris didn't even know what he was going to say, but Wyatt saved him from trying, "No, let me finish. I think that you might have a point. Maybe you should have been going on vanquishes with me."

Chris's head shot up and he watched wide eyed as Wyatt continued, "With our bond I would have known fast if you were in any kind of trouble." There was a slight pause before he said, "I think, just this once, we could lighten the punishment. Maybe, since I had a hand in the problem," then he emphasized, "Just this once," he said loudly, so there was no mistaking it, "We could end your punishment today."

Chris's face broke into a big smile, "Really?"

Wyatt nodded, "Yeah. And we can start working on your powers and stuff."

Chris threw himself at Wyatt and hugged him tightly; not his usual display of emotions as he said, "Thanks, Wy."

Wyatt patted his back. As they parted he said, "You will need to study the Book of Shadows first though. You really need to know your way around it if you want to be of any use to me in the underworld."

Chris's smile didn't falter, actually growing larger instead. "I will!" he exclaimed.

Wyatt nodded, "I expect school work to come first though, I had better not hear about any more personal gain."

Chris gave a cunning smile, "You didn't 'hear' about it last time."

Wyatt shoved his shoulder, "Yeah, that's right. I figured it out and I will figure it out every time."

Chris's smile twisted into a slightly disgusted grimace, "I know, I know."

Wyatt pointed at Chris's plate, "Eat. We can talk about all this later."

Chris picked up his sandwich and bit in. His mind was whirling with the possibilities of being able to go into the underworld. Wyatt was right; he would need to learn that book inside and out! Of course, he had been studying it for years so he could play in the underworld with Seth, but Wyatt didn't need to know that.

Wyatt ate his lunch. His mind was whirling too, he was thinking about how everything could go wrong. He could be making a huge mistake. He shoved those thoughts down as he remembered that his dream was for him to rule with his brother by his side. The boy would need to be much stronger to survive in the new world he was creating; a new world that would have the power to keep his family safe.

TBC

**A/N: So it seems that no one told the boys about the 'other' Chris. Our Chris assumed they had run out of people to honor and chose his middle name at random. Of course the family is letting some of the information slip unintentionally, but our Chris is quick and knows something is up. **


	9. Baby Books

**A/N: has not been allowing me to respond the usual way to reviews. If you left a review and I have not responded, I am very sorry. I greatly appreciate the extra effort given to let me know that this story is still being enjoyed :) THANK YOU!**

**Chapter 9**

**Baby Books**

Chris was walking out of school with Seth when he heard his Aunt Phoebe calling him. He looked up and saw that she was parked in front of the school. "Hey, I will catch you later," he said to Seth as he walked towards his aunt.

"What are you doing here, Aunt Phoebe?" he asked as he drew closer.

"Well," she replied, "I was in the neighborhood and I thought I would give you a ride home from school."

Chris rolled his eyes as he got into the car and said, "You spoke with Aunt Paige, right?"

Phoebe blushed slightly as she said, "It might have come up in conversation. How are you doing?" She put the car into gear and began to drive them towards the manor.

Chris plastered on an aura of nonchalance and said, "I'm fine."

She looked at him closely and said, "Uh huh..."

He genuinely smiled and said, "No, really, Wyatt has even said he would take me out on vanquishes."

Chris's joy was contagious and Phoebe found herself grinning right along with him, "That's great, Chris."

Chris was still radiating the thrill as he said, "I know, finally, right? He told me to start studying the Book of Shadows and he would take me down with him."

Phoebe was making a turn as she said, "Oh come on, you know that book like the back of your hand." She turned to face Chris and at his look began to backpedal, "I mean, right? You've been… been like studying it all this time?"

Chris scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, how did she know that? "What do you mean?" he asked.

She paused and said, "Uh, I mean… You just seem like…" She looked over at him again and saw his shrewd grin and realized she had been right; the boy had been studying the book! She breathed a sigh of relief; that was close, too close. She smiled at him and playfully slapped his arm saying, "I know you. You have been studying that book since you figured out how to sneak into the attic!"

Chris laughed out loud at that since it was the absolute truth! Wyatt had never forbidden him from reading the Book, it was just more fun to sneak around and do it. Strange though that Aunt Phoebe had known, although she didn't seem like she was talking about that when she began. He decided to file that for later contemplation. They talked some more about nothing in particular before Phoebe dropped him off at the manor.

Chris trudged up the stairs into the house and went to his room. He had been thinking about Wyatt and the Book of Shadows all day but now entering his room and looking at his desk he began to think about the baby book that was in the drawer. Chris opened the drawer looked down at the book. He shut the drawer, turned and went to his bedroom door then closed and locked the door. He didn't want anyone to hover or ask questions, he just wanted to look. He took the book out and sat down on his bed. He ran his finger reverently over the cover, took a deep breath and opened the first page. He saw his name, birth date and birth stats; on the other page there was also a picture of his mother holding him from her hospital bed. She was beautiful and very happy if the smile on her face was anything to go by. He reached his finger out to touch the image; he felt tears well up in his eyes. He didn't remember her at all. Sure, his grandpa and aunts had told him about her but there was not one memory he could call up with her in it. Why? Why did she go? No one talked about it, just that she had done it for them. A tear rolled down his cheek. What could be so important that you would give up your children for it? He looked at the typed quote under the photo,

'_Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone'. _

Quotes? He wouldn't have thought his mother would have wasted the time finding quotes to place under baby pictures. He brushed the tear away and turned the page. He saw a teary eyed Aunt Paige holding baby Chris. Strange picture, it looked to be one from the hospital; must have been happy tears? The caption below it said:

'_A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg__.' _

The other page showed a picture of his Aunt Phoebe making faces at a tiny bassinet with the caption,

'_Just so cute, yes you are, oh yes you are. ~Phoebe Halliwell.' _

He shook his head that was totally his Aunt Phoebe. He turned the page and saw Wyatt holding baby him and he gave a light chuckle. Even that young, Wyatt was taking care of him. The caption under the photo said:

'_Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. ~Marc Brown.' _

The other side of the page showed him with his grandpa, the quote under it said:

'_The idea that no one is perfect is a view most commonly held by people with no grandchildren. ~Doug Larson.' _

He flipped the page again and was surprised, not just because there were no more pictures but there was a folded piece of paper stuck in between the pages.

He reached out to touch it as if it would disappear if examined too closely. He took the paper and set down the book. Out of habit he looked up at the door; still shut and locked. He carefully opened the letter and read:

_My dearest baby boy, I love you. If you read nothing else written here I want you to know that without a doubt. I have more love for you than you can even fathom. I am sorry, so sorry that I had to leave you. This was to protect you. You need to understand that I went to the future; a dark, horrible future where evil reined. What I saw was so devastating that I would do anything to prevent you from having to live through it. It saddens me to say that the only way I could see to accomplish that would be to remove me from your life. I didn't want to go, I wanted to stay and raise you and your brother. _

_There is something more you deserve to know. You deserve to know the truth about your father, Leo Wyatt. He never knew. I found out I was pregnant after he went to Elderland fulltime. I never told him about you. He would have loved you so much; too much. He never would have been able to leave if he knew he had two babies to leave behind. I really felt it would be better this way. I hope one day you will be able to forgive me but even if you never can I want you, Christopher Perry Halliwell, to know that I am so very proud of you. I have seen the man you become and I could not ask for a better son. You are my sunshine my little Peanut. All my love, ~Mom_

Chris read the letter a couple of times before folding it and putting it under his pillow. His mother loved him. She loved him so much she left so that she could prevent something horrible; something more horrible than a baby being raised without his mother. He wondered if the aunts and Grandpa knew all this. Probably. They had told him that she 'sacrificed' her right to be a mother for his and Wyatt's own good. Those were the words to the story he was told every time he asked. He opened the baby book again and stared at his mother. Another tear rolled down his face. She didn't look like a woman about to abandon her baby.

He flipped through the entire book but there was nothing else. He thought about what she said about his father. Well at least she confirmed he was Leo's second son. He was never really sure. It seemed the most logical conclusion, what with the whitelighter side and all, but still. She never told Leo. He didn't even know Chris existed. Chris couldn't wrap his head around the idea. All of this seemed odd, wrong. Well of course it was wrong; I mean she did leave her sons' behind. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair; he wished he could talk with her. He wanted to meet her… He wanted to hug her.

He got up and opened the drawer where the book was. He looked at the other baby book; Wyatt's baby book. He set his book on top of it. He had dealt with enough already; he would save that for another day.

One day he would write a spell that would take him to his mother. He would ask her all the questions and not leave until he had answers! One day she would take him in her arms and hold him and tell him that she loved him. One day…

Chris's thoughts were interrupted by Wyatt yelling, "Hey, Chris, you home?"

Chris quickly closed the drawer, unlocked and opened the door before yelling, "Yeah, I'm upstairs, just finishing up some homework." Well, he had done his homework, earlier, "I thought you had to work tonight."

Wyatt replied, "I already did. I just had to put in a couple of hours." Wyatt stopped in front of Chris's room, "If you are done with that homework, why don't we spend some time with the Book."

Chris's face broke out into a huge grin feeling really glad he had finished his homework during study period today. They both walked up to the attic. Wyatt picked up The Book and started asking him some questions concerning spells, demons and ingredients for potions. Phoebe wasn't wrong when she said Chris had known the book so well. How she knew that he didn't understand but she was right, he knew the book like the back of his hand. Every question that Wyatt asked him was answered correctly. Wyatt was suitably impressed.

"You seem to know your way around this book, Little Brother. I think maybe someone has been spending some time with this?" Wyatt said and Chris looked down, wondering if he would be in trouble. "I think that you are ready to go on some vanquishes," Wyatt finished.

Chris's eyes shot up to Wyatt's, "Really?" he asked with a huge grin.

Wyatt smiled back, "Yes, really. We can work on some lower level demons. You just make sure you follow my lead, got it?"

The 'yes sir' slipped out without notice from Chris. Finally! Wyatt was finally going to take him to a vanquish!

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Wyatt was true to his word and took Chris out demon hunting that weekend. Chris couldn't believe how easy everything was. It was great to be fighting alongside his brother but the easiness kinda took the fun out of it. He wished he could go with Seth again, just for the thrill of it but that wasn't going to happen for a long time, if ever. He assuredly did not want to get caught down here again without permission!

Chris saw something from the corner of his eye as he was fighting. He watched as Wyatt nodded to a demon; not a 'yep, here I come' type nod. No, it was more like he was telling him something. Chris battled with half his mind occupied with the feelings flowing through the bond. Normally he couldn't even tell that Wyatt and he had a bond. Sure, part of that was probably because Wyatt somehow dampened the bond but even when it was flowing through completely, you really had to concentrate to notice all the feelings within it. There was something else there, something other than the adrenalin from the fight. There was some kind of deception. As he vanquished the demon he was battling he again watched the demon Wyatt had communicated with. The demon was leading the others then he flamed out. Strange.

When all the demons in the cave were vanquished Chris and Wyatt orbed back home. "Nice job, Chris!" Wyatt told him with pride.

Chris could feel the emotion passing over the bond. He preened with the praise but deep down wondered about it all. Everything seemed so orchestrated; like they were never in any danger. Chris said, "Thanks again, Wy, I'm going to go and take a shower to clean up."

Wyatt nodded at him but Chris was hardly paying attention. None of this was making sense. There was no way Wyatt could set up demons to be killed. He doesn't even know any demons, right? Chris was struck by another thought. He picked up his phone and dialed Seth.

Seth answered without the usual 'hello' instead saying "I thought tonight was the big vanquish with Wyatt?"

Chris smiled and said, "What if this was someone else calling?"

Seth laughed and said, "Caller I.D., man, ever heard of it?" and he laughed some more.

Chris said, "Fine, we just got back."

Seth stopped laughing and said, "So quick?"

Chris nodded and said, "I know. It was way too easy! I would have rather been out there with you."

Seth paused but answered, "Yeah, me too! But I am grounded for another week. I can't believe Wyatt told my dad!"

Chris rolled his eyes and said, "I know! I was supposed to be grounded too but I guess my argument went better than yours did."

Seth let out another quick laugh before saying, "Yeah but I guess it could have been worse." Chris didn't want to ask how it could have been worse. He had no desire to explain how much worse his had actually been!

Chris changed the subject. "Hey, listen, there was a reason I called. I was wondering…?" Chris paused as he tried to find the words to ask what he wanted. If he was wrong this just sounded stupid, but if he was right… "I was wondering where you found Wyatt that night."

Seth took in a huge breath and said, "Oh right, I can't believe I forgot to tell you! I mean with everything that happened that night and I was sitting here wondering if you were ok and all…"

Seth would have continued to babble if Chris hadn't interrupted him, "It's ok, where was he?"

Seth said, "That's the thing, he was in the underworld too! He was talking with a bunch of darklighters. I completely forgot about it when he grabbed my arm and dragged me off."

Chris's mind was no longer on the conversation. Wyatt had been meeting with a bunch of darklighters? The one thing that could kill him and there was no medical intervention and Wyatt was chatting with them?

Chris needed to think this over. "Hey, Wyatt's calling me," he lied, "I gotta run, I will catch you later." He hung up the phone without waiting for an answer.

Chris's mind was rebelling at the next thoughts. Wyatt did orchestrate that vanquish. Wyatt met with demons and darklighters. Chris recalled the nightmares he had been having since he was a small child, the ones where Wyatt was evil.

Chris shook his head. No, that just couldn't be true and Chris would prove it! All he had to do was follow him to the next meeting and he would see that there were no demons. It was all work related. Yes, that is what Chris would do!

Chris sat down at his desk and spent time working on a spell to close off their bond. If Wyatt had the power to do it, then surely Chris could come up with a spell to do the same thing. After he figured one out he began to work on a cloaking spell. It would do no good to close the bond if Wyatt could see him standing there! Once that was completed he only needed to wait for Wyatt to leave.

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Chris didn't need to wait long; Wyatt came home that evening after work and rushed upstairs to take a shower. Chris flipped on his TV and pretended to be engrossed in a show.

Wyatt called out towards Chris, "I'm headed out for the night, don't stay up too late." He heard Wyatt orb out of the manor and he jumped out of bed. He repeated the spell he had written earlier:

"Magical forces hear my spell

Hide me from Wyatt Halliwell"

And even though he wasn't sure that he could stay hidden completely when he followed Wyatt he said:

"Secrets hidden behind doors that lock

From Wyatt's sensing and orbing block."

Chris closed his eyes and sensed for Wyatt, upon finding him he orbed near his location. He watched from behind a rock as Wyatt led what appeared to be a meeting of demons. He closed his eyes tightly as if he could awaken from a dream. When he reopened his eyes, there was Wyatt, shaking the hand of the demon he saw him nodding to earlier.

Chris orbed back to his room and began to pace. He mumbled the spell reversing the cloaking but didn't undo the sensing spell. He just couldn't believe this. His big brother, the same man that had raised him, was evil. This is what he had been hiding from Chris. This is why he had learned to close their bond. His big brother was evil. The words just didn't make sense! He could keep saying them but he couldn't believe them. Scratch that, he didn't want to believe them! He went back over to his desk drawer and pulled out his baby book. He opened it to the page where a little Wyatt had been holding a baby Chris. A tear leaked out of his eye. This just wasn't possible! He went to set the book back and saw Wyatt's baby book. He remembered how he had wanted it for blackmail purposes. He had been thinking that he could find an embarrassing picture of Wyatt or something.

Chris took the book back to his bed and sat down. How could this innocent baby be evil? He opened the book to see his parents holding a baby Wyatt. Both were crying tears of joy. He flipped through the pages pausing at a few of the pictures. There were tons of pictures of Wyatt, unlike Chris's book. He rolled his eyes at himself, 'great time to get jealous' he thought as he studiously ignored the little voice that pointed out that there were no pictures of their dad in Chris's book. He absently noted that there were no quotes at the bottom of each page, at least that part made him feel special. He saw a few pictures of a very pregnant Piper in with little Wyatt. He smiled as he realized that the baby inside her was him. One of the last pictures in the book was one of a pregnant Piper watching a little Wyatt and someone else playing with a red truck. Chris scrunched his eyes as he tried to figure out who the man in the picture was. When he turned the page the picture was much clearer and the man with Wyatt was looking up at the camera. It appeared that the man was oblivious that the picture being taken. Chris stared at the photo with his mouth open. You could clearly see a pregnant Piper, a young Wyatt and a twenty something Chris Halliwell sitting in the picture. He took the picture out of the baby book and held it in his hand.

Once Chris's mind began to function again he knew just what he needed to do. He needed answers and although there were several people he could ask there was only one he wanted to. With that thought he headed out of his room…

TBC

**A/N: Those are real quotes from real people. I gave credit to the original author of the quote, with no intent to steal. I just love those quotes and they seemed SOOO appropriate. More soon. If you are enjoying the story, please leave a review :) Reviews make the muse happy and a happy muse is an inspiring muse ;)**


	10. Finding Piper

**Chapter 10**

**Finding Piper**

Chris's mind was in overdrive. He raced downstairs and scrawled out a quick note saying he was going over to Seth's and would be home soon. Then Chris walked back upstairs and into the attic going straight to the Book of Shadows. He flipped the pages until he came to a 'summon a lost witch' spell. He stared at it for a moment before deciding what to do. Apparently his mind worked well under 'freak out mode' since on the trip up to the stairs it occurred to him to look for that spell and now he knew just how he was going to alter it. He folded up the picture from Wyatt's baby book and put it in his pocket.

Chris walked around the attic methodically placing the candles and cauldron in the appropriate places. You would never know this was his first time using such an advanced spell. He threw some herbs into the cauldron with one hand and held a knife with the other. He pulled up an image of his mother forefront in his mind, cut his finger dripping the blood into the cauldron and said,

"Blood to blood help me to see

Blood to blood bring me to thee."

He watched as gold and white lights surrounded him. He closed his eyes as he thought about what he would say to the mother he never really met. When he opened his eyes he was standing in a dingy living room. He looked around and from where he was standing he could see the lights from the Golden Gate Bridge through the window. He watched it for a moment as he gathered his thoughts on what to do next; should he call for her? I mean the spell was supposed to take him to her. Did he do it wrong? He had made some minor adjustments to the spell.

As he was quietly thinking over the situation Piper walked out of the kitchen and dropped the glass she had been holding. She was so shocked to see who was standing in the room that she didn't even freeze time to stop the glass from falling.

A loud crash shook Chris from his musing and he turned towards the noise. Piper blinked and said what she thought could never be true, "Chris?"

Whatever he had planned to say went right out the window and the sarcasm crept right in as Chris said, "So you do know who I am. And here I thought this was going to be harder."

Piper stood there with her mouth open; the drink long forgotten as it spilled across the floor. When her mouth finally engaged all she could manage was, "Wha… How?"

Apparently sarcastic Chris won out again as he answered, "How what? How did I get here or how in the hell do you know who I am?" Chris couldn't believe how angry he felt. He thought that he would rush up to his mother and hug her; instead he was lashing out in a way that would get him in big trouble at home.

Piper put her hand to her mouth and said, "Oh God," tears sprung to her eyes as she quietly asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Chris grinned self-righteously and said, "Piper Halliwell, eldest living sister of the Charmed ones." He paused there not wanting to describe her any further.

Piper lowered her hand and asked a sadly familiar question, "To you… do you know who I am to you?"

Chris paused and looked her in the eye. He didn't want to hold all this anger but damn he was mad. She left him! He said, "Yeah, I know."

This wasn't quite the reception that Piper had dreamed of but she accepted it and she walked over closer. Chris didn't move so she took that as her invitation to touch him. She pulled him into her arms and said, "Oh Peanut, I have been waiting for this moment for so long…"

Chris was stiff as she hugged him but eventually he relaxed into the hug. He had wanted this for so long too. As he stood there the smell of her took him back to a time and place he thought he had long forgotten. He remembered her. He snuggled closer into her hair and whispered a word that he never thought he would say to someone, "Mom."

She petted her hand through his hair and said, "I'm so sorry, Baby."

Tears that Chris didn't even know he was holding in landed on her shoulder. He was still holding her when he asked, "Why, Mom? Why did you leave?"

Piper held him closer and whispered back, "It was the only way I could think of to protect you."

Chris leaned out of the hug and looked her in the eye and said, "I think you may have been wrong."

Piper's eyes grew concerned. What did Chris know? He had to know something important for him to bring himself here. Piper said, "What happened."

Now Chris pushed completely out of the hug and began to pace. He was talking quickly as he said, "No. I need to know…" He paused again but then pushed forward, "If I'm wrong then this will sound crazy, but…"

Piper reached for him again but Chris was faster and pulled the picture out of his pocket and handed it to her. She held the folded paper and looked at Chris as he asked her, "You've met me before, haven't you? This all happened before."

The last part wasn't a question and Piper's eyes widened as she asked, "What do you know?"

Chris shook his head and pointed at the picture in her hand. She looked down and unfolded the paper. Staring up at her from the photo was an older Chris with a young Wyatt and pregnant Piper. She looked back up and asked again, "What do you know?"

Chris was pacing again and said, "No. You tell me."

Piper put on her best 'mommy' voice and said, "Christopher, what do you know?"

Chris responded instinctively to the command and looked at his mother before saying, "All my life I have had nightmares. They were terrible and always the same. Wyatt coming towards me and choking me with telekinesis and I knew that he is evil. I have seen him with demons and darklighters and now this picture…" He paused as his mind filled in any empty blanks, "I came to the past, didn't I? That is why the aunts and Grandpa act strangely sometimes. As I grow to look more like him," he paused to point at the picture, "They remember me… him… whatever!"

He paused his pacing and whirled around to his mother and said, "Is that why you left, because he is evil?"

Piper sat down and with a deep sigh said, "No that is not why I left."

Chris gave her a sardonic look and she continued, "It really is a long story but the point of it all is that I left because I was the reason he turned so far to evil that he couldn't be saved."

Chris was lost, time travel always made things more confusing. Piper looked back up at him and said, "Please, just sit and I will tell you what I know." Chris stared for a moment and then took a seat.

Piper explained how she met Chris and of her own traveling to the future. She glossed over her death and the lack of help from Leo and Wyatt. She finally said, "We couldn't save him from the seed of evil so I left before he could have the trigger."

Chris was already shaking his head and he said, "You were wrong."

She looked down and said quietly, "I know."

Chris looked back at her, his eyes begging her to explain. She conceded, "I have been keeping an eye on you two. I know about his meetings in the underworld. The other Piper, the one that died had been keeping a journal. Some of the things that I saw she also saw." She looked down before telling him of her discovery, "I was wrong. I thought that if I wasn't around to trigger the evil that he would be the force of good that he was supposed to be." She sadly shook her head as she said, "But he is still heading down that path and I don't know how to stop him."

Chris took her hands and said, "I will stop him."

Piper pulled her hands back and said, "Don't you see, you have already tried. You have gone back at least twice! Each time the same result!"

Chris was shaking his head as he said, "No, not the same result. You told me in that letter that you went to the future and saw it was evil. You changed things, you left. You never told Leo about me."

Piper stood and said, "That is what I am saying! I changed things and he is still heading towards evil."

Chris took her hands and slowly pulled her back down next to him and said, "See, we just made the wrong choices. Something else needs to change. I can feel it! I don't know what it is but it has something to do with me."

Piper looked into his determined eyes and remembered an older Chris with the same look. He was right. They still had a chance. She squeezed his hand and said, "You're right. We will make different choices this time. We will come up with a new plan." She realized they still had lots of time to do this; they were way ahead of the game this time around.

Chris gave his first genuine smile since he arrived as he said, "And I will go back for the last time and fix it all."

Piper finally relaxed, this felt right. Somehow the two of them were going to change what needed to be changed. "I will research the diaries more and we can discuss options." She said.

Chris nodded saying, "I can't keep anything written down at home, Wyatt might see it."

Chris glanced at his watch and said, "I can't stay long."

Piper didn't ask why instead she asked, "How are you doing?"

Chris recognized the question as the fact finding mission it was and he said, "I'm good. Grandpa is awesome."

Piper chuckled and said, "Some things never change."

Chris quirked an eyebrow at that but continued saying, "The aunts interfere too much and the cousins are as annoying as ever." His smile showed that he was just kidding.

Piper raised her hand to his hair and said, "I really am so sorry."

Chris backed up. He had had all the emotional confrontation he could tolerate. He stood and said, "I really have to be getting back." And he orbed away leaving a sad but no longer empty feeling Piper in his wake.

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Chris orbed back into the attic so he could clean up the candles that remained when he left. He said the quick spell:

"Secrets stay hidden even when doors unlock

From Wyatt's sensing and orbing unblock."

He heard the voice as the feelings from their bond returned. "Nice spell, Little Brother," Wyatt said then asked, "You wanna tell me where you have been?"

Chris froze, Wyatt was pissed, 'Damn it, he wasn't supposed to be here!' he thought as his mind raced through the possible lies he could tell. He turned to answer but his eyes went to the object in Wyatt's hand. Wyatt was holding a heavy wooden spoon that he began to tap into the palm of his other hand.

'Oh shit! He thought I was in the underworld alone.' Chris began to back up as he said, "Wy…"

Wyatt said, "Because I think you did something you promised you wouldn't do."

Chris was already shaking his head no.

"And I told you what would happen if you went into the underworld without me." Wyatt continued as he steadily tapped the spoon into his hand while walking closer to Chris.

Chris's mind reeled; he didn't want to tell Wyatt the truth but the thought of getting a sp- punished, with that evil spoon over ruled his fear. "Wy, it's not what you think."

Wyatt was beside him before Chris even saw him move. Wyatt grabbed his arm tightly yelling, "Oh, so you want to lie again? Not such a good idea, Bro," as he swung the spoon connecting to the seat of Chris's pants with a hard smack that brought Chris to his toes.

Chris tried to twist out of Wyatt's grip as he cried out, "Ow, Wy, wait…"

Wyatt swatted him again and again as he dragged him over to the couch. He sat down and pulled Chris over his knee not once stopping the spanking.

Chris struggled and kicked crying out "Oww, please, no." That spoon hurt just as bad as he thought it would. He had to explain that he hadn't gone to the underworld before Wyatt had the chance to take down his pants and really let him have it. "Wy, wait. Please… I didn't go to the underworld."

Wyatt didn't pause as he said, "I couldn't sense you Christopher! Where else could you be?"

Chris couldn't break free from his brother's hold or escape from that horrible spoon raining fire down on his jean clad butt. He had no choice; he had to tell his brother. He started to cry as he said, "I… I went to see Mom." There, that was the truth without the added, 'and I think you might be evil… Oh by the way did I tell you I time traveled when you were a baby?'

Wyatt stopped and his jaw dropped. He couldn't believe it, "You what?"

Chris took the opportunity and jumped up out of his brother's hold. He was rubbing his butt as he said, "I just wanted to see her." He considered telling Wyatt he had only seen her from afar but he was gone too long for that. Man, he really should have thought this out completely before leaving!

Wyatt didn't move from his perch on the couch. He had been certain that Chris had been in the underworld. He was frantic with worry when he couldn't sense him at all. And now to find out the boy had seen HER? Wyatt could only formulate one question, "Why?"

Chris was still considering all his options. He wiped his tears away to give himself another few seconds to think. His mind finally grabbed onto something that could explain it, "I saw my baby book; it had a picture of her. I'm sorry, Wy, I just had to see her."

Wyatt still wasn't over his anger enough to hear the whole story, "So you thought you would lie to me and sneak around to find her?"

Chris took another step back; he couldn't look Wyatt in the eye so he said to the floor, "I didn't think…"

Wyatt cut him off before he could finish, "That is the problem, you didn't think! Damnit! You didn't even consider what was going happen when I couldn't find you!"

Chris twisted his toe into the ground and said, "I left a note telling you where I was."

Wyatt jumped up and shouted, "No! You left me a lie, telling me where you weren't. So what was I supposed to think when Seth called for you?"

Chris's eyes shot up to Wyatt's, 'SHIT' he thought and he said out loud, "Seth wasn't supposed to call."

Wyatt started to pace, "Oh, so it's Seth's fault that I didn't know where you were, huh? Maybe you should have him come over so I can spank him instead!"

Chris's eyes bugged out of his head, 'oh God please, no' he thought as he said, "Wy I'm sorry."

Wyatt stopped directly in front of him and said, "Not as sorry as you're going to be, Little Boy! You promised me, PROMISED me that you weren't going to lie to me again and what did you do?" Wyatt paused.

Chris only looked at his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

"I'll tell you what you did, YOU LIED to me! You wrote a note telling me you were going to your friend's house and instead you hid yourself from me and went to see HER!" Wyatt was seeing red, not only did the boy lie to him but he did it to find their mother; the same mother that had left them! "You know what; I can't deal with this right now." Wyatt said as he orbed out of the room.

Chris sat down carefully on the sofa; Wyatt was going to kill him. The upside was that he wasn't sent to his room so that meant he didn't have to stand in a corner. The downside was that he had no idea what to do now.

Chris cleaned up the attic, putting the candles and cauldron away. The entire time he was thinking how bad an idea the note had been. He should have lied better! Wait, no, that isn't the answer; lying is why Wyatt is going to kill him! Ugh! 'Just great,' he thought as he went to his room and went to bed.

Amazingly sleep found him quickly, but didn't last long. He awoke early and decided to go ahead and make some breakfast. He sensed to see who was home, but only found that his grandpa was there. He glanced at the clock, it was six in the morning and Wyatt still wasn't back. He hung his head as he got up and put some clothes on. This wasn't good.

A short time later Victor walked into the kitchen. Chris was busy making breakfast; not stopping to acknowledge his grandfather. "Hey kiddo," Victor said making Chris jump. Now Victor knew something was wrong, it is pretty hard to sneak up on Chris and he wasn't even trying.

"Oh, hey Grandpa, I didn't hear you come in," Chris said as he tried to blow off the earlier actions.

Victor said, "What's wrong?"

Chris gave a distant sounding, "Nothing."

Victor eyed him for a moment and then said, "You said we talk, that's what we do. So talk to me."

Chris, who was miles away in thought, came back instantly at that comment and asked, "When?"

Victor was taken aback by the question so only said, "Huh?"

Chris said, "When did I say that to you?"

Victor realizing his mistake began to backpedal, "Um, it is what we do."

Chris shook his head, "You know too, don't you?"

Victor was beginning to get nervous and said, "What do you mean?" He wasn't supposed to know. The girls told him that those memories belonged to the other Chris and baby Chris wouldn't know.

Chris got a faraway look on his face and said, "What is it that you said? I already gave up my li…" All the color drained from Chris's face as he continued, "Life? I already gave up my life for magic? That is why you were so scared? I died?"

Victor could see this conversation was upsetting Chris, hell, it was upsetting him, so he tried to console him, "No, not you. You aren't going to die like that."

Chris's eyes shot up to his grandfather's and he asked, "Like what?" When Victor didn't come forth with any new information Chris said, "Grandpa, I know. I know I went to the past." He fished the picture of himself with baby Wyatt out of his pocket and handed it to his grandfather. He paused as Victor looked over the picture and looked down as he said, "And I went to see Mom."

That stopped Victor cold; he hadn't seen his daughter in fourteen years. "Oh, Chris, are you ok?"

Chris gave his grandpa a sardonic look, "Seeing her was fine. Lying and getting caught by Wyatt wasn't part of the original plan."

Victor winced in sympathy, "Is that why he isn't here?"

Chris was almost glad of the subject change. Of course he would be happier if they weren't changing it to how much trouble he was in. "Yeah, I said I was going to Seth's but Seth called for me. Wyatt was pretty pissed," Chris said but thought 'and that is the understatement of the century.'

Chris sighed, "I had to tell him where I went or it would have been worse." Chris blushed at that comment, the wooden spoon forefront in his mind, thinking, 'nope, THAT was the understatement of the century!' Chris finished cooking and started to get the food to the table.

Victor helped him with setting the table and asked, "So, do I want to know what you talked about with your mom?"

Chris looked at him for a moment, he did want to talk it over with him but Wyatt could be home any time so he said, "Probably not. We can talk about it later, when I get more figured out."

Victor nodded. Breakfast was mostly silent after that only the clinking of silverware on the plates carrying sound.

After the breakfast was eaten and dishes were done Chris headed up to his room and sat on his bed. He was too wired to sleep again but didn't know what else to do with himself as he waited on Wyatt. He was sure Wyatt would come home and talk with him. It wasn't like him to be gone this long but there was no way he would allow Chris's lying to go unpunished. He squirmed at the thought. Ugh, that note was a really bad idea. He ideally wondered if he would be in as much trouble if he had left no note at all.

Two more hours passed and Chris was beginning to think that maybe he should just go back to sleep when Wyatt orbed into his room. Chris just looked up at him. Wyatt didn't speak, just walked over to Chris's desk chair and sat down. They stayed like that for a moment until Wyatt finally spoke, "So, let me see this baby book of yours."

Chris was stunned, THAT was what he was going to say? Chris sat for a moment longer thinking of how to get the book that was currently under Wyatt's baby book in his desk drawer. He didn't want to discuss Wyatt's baby book so he suddenly loudly said while placing his hand in front of him "My baby book" and his baby book appeared in blue and white orbs.

Wyatt gave him half a smile but didn't say anything. Chris walked over to Wyatt and handed him the book. Wyatt looked at the cover for a moment before opening it. He paused at each picture, presumably reading the caption and perusing the photos. He cracked a genuine smile when he came to the page where little Wyatt was holding baby Chris and said, "Superhero, huh?"

Chris smiled and looked down and said, "Yeah." But was actually thinking in Wyatt's case it was more like being a dad. Wyatt turned the pages and saw that there was nothing more in the book and looked up at Chris with sad eyes. He felt Wyatt understood some of Chris's need to see their mom; of course he wasn't going to discuss the time travel or seed of evil with him.

Wyatt asked, "So… Why did you lie to me?"

Chris hung his head, here it comes. Chris knew the real reason was because of the fear of Wyatt turning evil mixed with the picture he currently had in his pocket but he couldn't tell that to Wyatt. "I," he began and paused before rushing out, "I didn't think you would let me go." And damn if that wasn't the truth but not exactly what he meant to say! He meant to say he didn't think he would understand.

Wyatt looked at him and said, "So you thought you would lie to me?"

Chris didn't look up to say, "I'm sorry, Wy." He knew Wyatt was upset but he couldn't think of anything else to say to exonerate him.

Wyatt knew any discussion of their parents was a touchy topic with both of them. It hadn't escaped his attention that there were no pictures of their father in that book. He was sure that Chris had noticed it too. He also had to consider that one of the biggest reasons he was upset was because it was their mother that Chris had gone to see. That wasn't the only reason though, "Do you have any idea how freaked out I was when I couldn't find you. Damn it, I couldn't even sense you!" He brought that up because he knew that it was a pretty powerful spell to block someone as strong as him!

Chris was still looking down but he did catch the small note of pride his brother's voice held. It would not be good to smile right now though so he kept his head down. Chris lightly shrugged his shoulders and said for what had to be the hundredth time, "I'm sorry, Wy." Because he was sorry, sorry he had been caught! And now there would be consequences.

As if Wyatt had plucked the thought directly from Chris's head, Wyatt said, "There will be consequences."

Chris schooled his expression so he didn't show terror at the thought of what those consequences could be. Being spanked with the wooden spoon was not something he ever wanted to experience again.

Wyatt had to admit, if only to himself, that he felt bad about spanking Chris with that wooden spoon. Not that he wouldn't do it again if he caught Chris in the underworld alone; but that was the problem, Chris hadn't been in the underworld. He should have waited for an explanation before tearing into Chris. This left him feeling like he should give a lighter punishment then what he normally would for lying. Wyatt began speaking again, "You lied to me and for that I should spank you." Chris felt a wave of fear course through his spine and it spiked again as Wyatt spoke his next words, "Or bind your powers. But I'm not going to do either."

Chris couldn't contain his sigh of relief. He heard Wyatt chuckle before he said, "But you will be grounded without your powers for two weeks. It isn't safe for you to be without them but so help me if you use them for anything other than an emergency I will resort to plan B."

Chris's eyes shot up to look at Wyatt. Wyatt gave a slight grin and asked, "You remember plan B, don't you Little Boy?"

Chris eyes were round as he spoke, "Yes sir."

Wyatt nodded and began to rise, "Then I don't think you will have any trouble remembering not to use them then."

Chris shook his head and said, "No sir." Chris wanted to be bold stand up for his rights but instead he was reduced to a little kid using the 'sir' title!

He again wondered how Wyatt was able to do that but he just stood where he was and watched him leave the room as Wyatt said, "Good." And with that he shut Chris's door. Chris let out another sigh of relief but dreaded two weeks without the use of his magic. He glanced at the door and was already trying to figure out a way to go back to see his mother. They had to be wrong. This was the Wyatt he grew up with, not some evil incarnation! He reached back in his pocket and pulled out the picture and shook his head. He was going to need more help figuring this out.

TBC

**A/N: I know, I know Chris forgave Piper WAY too easily, but… it's his mom. He tried so hard to be mad at her but he wanted to know her his whole life. Furthermore think back to his Shakespeare paper, he said the boy would hate his father and really miss his mom… Seems to me someone places all the blame on Daddy?**

**Oh and the whole plan to go back? Well Piper has been studying those books for YEARS; she knows something has to be done. Also, don't forget how young this Chris is. He still thinks he can do anything he can put his mind to. The world hasn't beaten that outta him yet…**


	11. The Party

**Chapter 11**

**The Party**

"Seth," Chris called out as he saw his friend walking towards the school, "Wait up."

Seth waited for his friend and began talking as soon as Chris got close, "Man, I am so sorry about calling you the other day! I had no idea you told Wyatt we were together."

Chris shrugged, "Yeah, my bad, I should have warned you, but I thought you were grounded."

Seth pushed at Chris's shoulder saying, "I was, but that didn't mean I couldn't sneak and call you." They both laughed and Seth asked, "So, you grounded now too?"

Chris winced, "Oh yeah, big time!" Chris looked around before he whispered, "No magic either and if Wyatt catches me he is going to bind my powers." Chris didn't mention what else would happen if he was caught using magic.

Seth gave a knowing smile and said, "Well then we just gotta make sure you don't get caught!" And they both laughed again.

"So where did you go?" Seth asked him then paused and said, "Do not tell me you went to the underworld alone!" He whispered the last part of the sentence but there was no missing the menace that the thought held.

Chris looked around them again to make sure no prying ears were nearby and he said, "No, I'm not that stupid. Besides, don't you think Wyatt would have killed me himself if I pulled a stunt like that." They both laughed at the truth of the statement. "I," Chris began and his ears got a little red, "I went to see my mother."

Seth stopped and grabbed Chris's arm so that they were facing each other, "No way!"

Chris gave a small grin and nodded.

"Oh my God, Chris, that is HUGE! What is she like, what did she say," he began and then he paused and asked, "Why did you go?" He felt like he was a teenage girl but this really was a big deal in both their worlds. Neither one of them had a mother, Seth for different reasons than Chris, but still the thought of meeting with your mom was just, well, huge!

Chris began to walk forward again, not wanting to look his friend in the eye as he lied to him, "I saw a picture of her in a baby book. I don't know, I just had to see her." He gave the same story that he had told Wyatt. Seth may be his best friend but he just wasn't ready to explain his fears just yet.

Seth was walking beside him again when he asked, "How did you find her?"

Chris gave him a sidelong look and a sly smile and whispered, "Dude, I'm a witch." And they both laughed out loud.

When they calmed down Chris got serious again saying, "I do need your help though. I really am grounded and if Wyatt catches me, well, I don't even want to think about it. But I need to see her again, could you cover for me?"

Seth didn't miss a beat, "Sure, what do you need me to do?"

Chris smiled and said, "Well first off don't call for me."

Seth playfully punched him in the shoulder exclaiming, "Hey, I said I was sorry for that!"

Chris shoved him back and said, "No, really, I just need to leave from and orb back to your place. Wyatt will know if I am using magic in the house and I am not sure where she is." They paused in their steps as they needed to part ways.

Seth answered before heading off, "Sure thing, man. No problem!" And they both took off towards their classes.

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Chris had the ingredients in his backpack so he headed straight to Seth's house after school. He knew his time was short so they didn't joke around and just did what needed to be done to get him to his mother. This time Piper was prepared when the witchlighter appeared in her living room. She had cookies and milk waiting for him when he arrived. He gave her a shy, "Thanks," and he sat down.

They began to work immediately, Piper showing him highlights of important stuff she had gathered over the years. She showed him her own diary of information. It wasn't a typical journal with day to day babble, instead it was a detailed account of possible ways Wyatt was originally planted with the seed of evil and different ways they could have changed it.

Chris immediately noticed that each time he went back he didn't tell the sisters who he was. He thought that was a terrific idea and planned to keep that one the same. Piper protested but they pushed forward and left the idea at a stalemate. He also pointed out that every time he went back he helped Leo to become an Elder, nearly ending his own existence.

Piper playfully smacked him on the back of his head saying, "I know! But I think this is the first time you will go back with prior knowledge of having traveled back. I talked with you before…" She paused and Chris noticed that her eyes became glassy.

Chris finished for her, "Before I died, I know. It's ok. It isn't going to happen that way this time."

Piper squeezed his hand and gave a watery smile saying, "You're right. Nothing will be the same." She nodded her head in determination.

Chris had been at Piper's for a while when he glanced down at his watch. He jumped up and said, "Shit, Wyatt's gonna kill me!"

Piper's eyes widened and she automatically raised her hands to defend them saying, "What!"

Chris gave out a huff that was more like a giggle, "Not literally. It's just…" He paused; he did not want to discuss this with her.

Piper's eyes questioned him, "Just what?"

Chris blushed as he looked away and said, "It's just I didn't tell him where I was going and he already grounded me and…" Oh he was so not going to tell her about plan B!

Piper's eyes scrunched in confusion as she asked, "HE grounds you?"

Chris was still looking down as he said, "Yeah." And silently thought, 'among other things…' Chris entirely missed the emphasis on the word 'he'.

Piper just couldn't understand so she asked, "I thought you lived with Grandpa?"

Chris looked at her again and realized what she was questioning. She wanted to understand what most people failed to even notice. She wanted to know how a kid that was less than three years older could raise another kid.

Chris paused trying to decide the best way to explain but realized he was running out of time. If Wyatt caught him out, he was toast! So he said quickly, "I do, we do, it's just… Wyatt… Well," And wasn't that coming out so eloquently. He quickly said, "Wyatt acts like he's my dad," and Chris was suddenly grateful that he had to leave. He didn't want to discuss this.

He leaned down and kissed Piper's cheek and orbed to Seth's house. He glanced around Seth's room and only saw Seth. He grinned and said the reversal for the blocking spell then thanked Seth for covering for him.

"Anytime, dude, anytime. You better get out of here though before Wyatt gets home," Seth told him.

Chris nodded and ran out of the house and double timed it the rest of the way. He beat Wyatt home by only five minutes. By the time Wyatt had come in Chris was already pulling out lunch meat for sandwiches. He looked up at his older brother and said, "Sorry, I had tons of work to do." He didn't actually say homework, just work, so it wasn't a lie. He did do work, just with Piper. "I thought we could just have chips and sandwiches tonight."

Wyatt smiled and reached out to mess up Chris's hair, "Sure. I will just go up and change." And he orbed out of the room. Chris breathed a sigh of relief that had been too close.

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Two weeks had gone by before Chris appeared in Piper's apartment in his usual way. Piper was still in the kitchen this time. He walked towards her and hoped up on her counter. She turned quickly raising her hands in the air but realized who he was just in time.

"Chris, warn a witch, will ya," She said jokingly, "I almost blew you up." With that comment she went pale.

Chris scrunched his eyes at her then remembered the conversation with Aunt Paige so he said offhandedly, "You threatened to blow me up, didn't you? Back before you knew who I was."

Piper was momentarily stunned, how could he know that? "Do you remember it?" She asked him.

"Nah, Aunt Paige started to say something but paused in a weird place. It seems like family does that a lot when they talk about the past with me," he said with a smile.

Piper was regaining her color but she started to say, "I'm sorry, Peanut..."

Chris waved her off saying, "It was nothing, besides, it's not like it was really even me." They both thought about that statement for a moment before Chris gave into the urge to steal a cookie. Piper gave him a big grin.

Chris said, "Oh!" around a mouth full of cookie, "Something I thought up!" He finished his bite and said, "There was something else. Each time I came back it was during the Titan attack but it was too late for me to save all the Elders."

Piper's smile dropped as a determined look came across her features, "You're right! If you had saved the Elders then at least they would have trusted you and then Leo would never become an Elder!" Piper's mind started to whirl around this thought. Why had it never occurred to her before? "If Leo didn't become an Elder, than we wouldn't have broken up. He wouldn't have left…" Her voice was fading out as the thoughts of 'what if' came to her.

Chris finished another bite of his cookie before hoping down from the counter, "Anyway, I was thinking, if there was another time, a better time that I could show up then maybe you would know it?" He started off strong but ended the statement as a question. He looked down at his watch again, it was his last day of punishment and he intended for it to stay that way. He gave Piper another kiss on the cheek and said, "Think about it," as he orbed off.

Piper did think about it. She thought about how wonderful it was to have her son back in her life. She reached up and touched the cheek he had absent mindedly kissed. Leaving her boys had been the worst thing she had ever done for herself, she still wondered if it could possibly have been an alright idea for them. She forced herself to focus on the assignment from Chris. There had to be the perfect step in time. Something he hadn't even heard of before. She thought about it for a while before coming up with the perfect timing. She couldn't believe she hadn't realized it sooner.

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**February 22, 2019**

Chris had been planning this party for days. He would have liked to say he thought it up months or even weeks ago but no, it had been just days in the planning. If he had to admit it, he was sucking up to his big brother. His punishment of no magic was finally over but Wyatt had been acting distant since Chris told him he went to see their mom. He gave a small smile. So far Wyatt had been in the dark about the other visits or he was sure plan B would have been put into effect. Chris gave a small worried look and his eyes darted around the room. He had better watch his thoughts with his aunt's empathy skills. He blew out a breath; she wasn't near him.

He put the final touches on the feast he had prepared and started to gather up the family and herd them into the dining room. It wasn't as hard to get everyone together as he feared. He smiled as he watched his Aunt Paige, Uncle Henry, Henry Jr. and the twins run into the room. Little Patty was finishing Penny's sentences as they asked if they could have cake yet. Those two were going to be terrors as teenagers! Already they could trick people by pretending to be the other one, just wait until they got a few years on them. They both had their mother's orbing abilities, as did Henry Jr. The difference with Henry was that he was shy and soft spoken. Guess he had no other choice with the girls running circles around him.

Chris was engulfed by a huge hug from his Aunt Phoebe, "This is such a great idea! I am so glad you invited everyone over! I just can't wait to surprise Wyatt!" Chris was saved from any more love being shown when his grandfather engaged Phoebe in conversation. Victor winked at Chris, picked up Phoebe's oldest daughter, Prue, and continued to talk with Phoebe. Uncle Coop came in with their youngest two Peyton and Polly. Chris rolled his eyes at all the "P" names. Seems only the boys escaped the tradition, and that was if you didn't count his middle name. Well, at least he wasn't the only one with a random "P" name. Aunt Phoebe had named her oldest after Aunt Prue and Aunt Paige had named her twins after Grams and Grandma, but the youngest cousins had names picked from the letter 'P' page of the baby naming book.

Chris was smiling, looking around his family. All of them were waiting for Wyatt to come home so they could yell of 'surprise'.

No one was expecting what happened next as several things happened at once. A large group of demons shimmered into the living room.

Aunt Phoebe looked over to Chris and shouted, "Get the kids outta here!"

Chris grabbed his grandfather, who was still holding Prue and put his hand on his youngest cousin, Polly. Before he orbed out he saw that Henry Jr. had grabbed Uncle Henry while the twins were mid orb. His last view had been of Uncle Coop grabbing Peyton and vanishing.

Chris used all his powers to try to direct the hodgepodge of his family to a nearby park. Everyone landed there with the exception of Uncle Coop and Peyton. Chris looked around the group and shouted, "Stay here," and orbed as he sensed for his uncle and cousin. He found them standing in their own home. Chris orbed in behind them, placed his hands on them and orbed them to the park. He looked around the group and made sure that he had everyone safe. The girls were all crying, even Henry Jr. looked near tears.

He asked, "Is anyone hurt?" Though no one answered, he didn't think anyone was injured. He then said, "Everyone, stay here." And he began to orb again.

Uncle Henry put his hand on him stopping him mid orb saying, "Where do you think you are going?"

Chris shook off the hand and said, "I gotta go and help them, there were too many!"

Uncle Coop joined in saying, "I think you should stay here too Chris."

Chris was getting angry, didn't they see he could handle himself. He backed up so that no one could stop him and said, "I'll be fine." And he orbed away leaving the three grown men to care for the children left behind.

Victor walked up to the other two asking angrily, "Why didn't you stop him?" He didn't want his grandson to be placed in any more danger.

Coop pressed his lips together before saying, "We tried, you know how determined he gets."

Victor shook his head sadly saying, "Yeah, I know. I know."

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Wyatt was walking from his car into the house feeling a little sorry for himself. No one had even wished him a happy birthday. That wasn't like his family. By now he should have had several calls from his aunts and cousins and Chris would usually whip them up some blueberry pancakes. Instead he was left with a note saying that Chris needed to be at school early and that he would get a ride home from Seth. He frowned as he opened the door but it was all quickly replaced by rage. There were demons in his house! He raised his hand to fight one off and raised the other to throw a demon into the wall. He heard a sickening crunch come from the dining room and suddenly all of the demons shimmered away.

Wyatt ran into the dining room and the sight was horrible. Chairs were turned over and things were broken all around the room but the worst sight was his Aunt Paige laying with her eyes open, not breathing. Next to her lay Aunt Phoebe whose last words were, "The kids…" and she closed her eyes.

Wyatt quickly raised his hands to heal them but nothing happened. He tried again but no light emitted. He screamed, "No!" Then he heard the sound of two sets of orbs. His mind was too occupied to realize why there were twin sounds as he saw Chris run over to the prone bodies of their aunts. Tears fell onto one of the sisters as he looked up at his big brother. Wyatt shook his head.

Neither of the boys saw the robed form watching in horror from the other room. Leo had felt the death of the two sisters. When he orbed in he searched for Piper. He realized that she wasn't in the manor but was currently safe. He saw a young boy with dark hair orb in slightly in front of him and run over to the two sisters. The boy kneeled down next to Paige and looked up at Wyatt. Wyatt shook his head. He watched as the tears fell on the youngest sister.

He saw the boy stiffen and say, "Mom." And he orbed out of the room.

Leo realized that this boy must have been Paige's son. He had orbed into the room and called her 'Mom' before orbing out again. Leo felt terrible for him.

He heard Wyatt yell, "Damn it, Chris!" and move to follow the boy's orb.

Leo paused for a moment wondering why Paige would name her son Chris before he called out, "Wyatt, wait."

The voice stunned Wyatt. He stopped and turned to stare as he asked, "Dad?"

Leo almost smiled at the title bestowed on him but quickly gained perspective and asked, "What happened here?"

Wyatt walked towards him menacingly and said, "You don't get to ask that! You don't get to come down here all high and mighty and pretend that you have anything to do with this family! None of this concerns you LEO!"

Leo winced at the force of each sentence.

Wyatt continued, "Why don't you take your heavenly ass out of here and do what you do best, LEAVE US ALONE!"

Leo watched Wyatt for a moment before Wyatt orbed out of the room. Leo stood there staring at the spot just vacated as the words registered with him. Wyatt was right. He had no business being here now. He gave this all up a long time ago. A tear rolled down his face as he looked towards the bodies of his once sisters' in law. He hung his head and orbed from the room. Yes, he had given up his rights a long time ago.

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Piper stepped out into an ally after her shift as a cook. Not a particularly glamorous job, but it paid the bills. It didn't matter today anyway. Her mind was not on work. Her mind was on a little boy she had given up almost 14 years ago. Her Wyatt would be seventeen today. She swiped at the tear that had fallen on her cheek. She was walking when she heard the distinct sound of shimmering and when she looked up she saw that she was surrounded by demons. She didn't have time to analyze how they found her she just raised her hands to begin blowing them up. There were several different types of demons here and her mind actually filed away the question of why that was before she was hit in the arm by an athema. She had the time to freeze some kind of acid that was hurling towards her before she saw Chris orb in front of her.

He took one look around as she was shouting, "No! Get out of here!"

He ignored her and said, "Duck."

She only paused for a moment as Chris raised his hands; then she did as he said. She watched as lightning shot from his fingertips. All the demons were hit at once. They all flew backwards and shook with the electric shock before crumbling to ash. The lightning stopped as quickly as it began and Chris fell to the ground.

Piper ran towards Chris dropping to the ground and cradled his body to her as she checked for his pulse. It was strong; apparently he had just passed out from the outpouring of energy. Moments later she heard another person orbing in. Her eyes shot up and she saw Wyatt. He surveyed the damage that was done before rushing over to his brother. He raised his hands and they both breathed a sigh of relief as the golden white light shown down upon Chris. The light dimmed but Chris didn't stir.

Piper looked up in horror but Wyatt said, "I can't heal exhaustion."

He kneeled down next to Chris. He raised his hand and healed her arm. His eyes looked sad as he told her, "I couldn't save them."

Piper was looking at him not understanding. She began to think about what he had said and combine it with what she was feeling and came to a horrible conclusion, "My sisters…" she whispered.

All the sympathy he was feeling for her went right out the window. Wyatt's look of sadness went to anger in an instant and he viciously said, "It should have been you."

Piper drew in a painful breath and tears welled in her eyes at the look her oldest son was giving her but he wasn't done. "Stay away from him," he said angrily and roughly snatched his baby brother out of her arms. Then looked back at Piper coldly saying, "Stay away from all of us," before he orbed away leaving her in a dirty ally all alone with only her overwhelming sorrow for company.

TBC

**A/N: Again we see the effects of assuming. Poor Leo, remember he never knew Chris as anything other than a whitelighter/witch from the future. What else was there to do but ****assume**** when he said 'Mom' as he knelt over Paige and then orbed! Now, why would Paige name her son Chris? LOL! More soon!**


	12. The Day After

_**A/N: **__**A small warning to those of you invested in this story, our Wyatt is heading down a dark path... Keep in mind he harbors a seed of evil within him that he only recognizes as the need for Power. He only want to keep his brother safe, he isn't even aware that he is the one that is putting Chris in danger...**_

**Chapter 12**

**The Day After**

Chris woke up in his own bed, God he hurt all over. What had happened? He walked into the bathroom and got some ibuprofen and swallowed two down with a handful of water from the faucet. He looked back up to his reflection and tried to remember what happened last. Everything came back to him at once and he slumped down on to the bathroom floor. He called out, "Wy..." But there were no familiar tinkling of orbs. Instead he heard harsh running stomps up the stairs. Moments later his grandpa was kneeling down next to him.

Victor pulled Chris into a hug and said, "It's ok. You're ok."

Chris began to cry and his grandfather held him tighter.

Once he finally calmed down he asked, "Where is Wyatt?"

Victor leaned back, looked him in the eye and said, "I don't know. He brought you back here and then came to get me to watch over you."

Chris nodded then asked, "The kids? Are the kids ok?"

Victor gave a sad smile; it was so like Chris to worry about everyone else. "They're fine, Henry and Coop are with them now," he said.

Chris tensed and started crying again saying, "I'm so sorry, Grandpa. I was too late to save Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe." He pulled in a deep breath and said, "But I saved Mom. I killed them all, but I saved her." He dropped his head back to his grandfather's shoulder.

Victor rubbed Chris's back and held in his own pain. His grandson needed him, "It's not your fault Chris. You saved the rest of us." He leaned back, put his finger under Chris's chin and lifted his head up so that they were eye to eye. "You saved me. Thank you." Chris nodded and rested his head against his grandfather again. They sat like that for a while before Victor finally got Chris back up to his own room. He put him back to bed and ran downstairs to get the boy something to eat. Victor didn't want Chris to go downstairs yet. The room was still demolished although the coroner already picked up the bodies of the two fallen Charmed Ones. Victor had been working on getting the room back together but without the aid of magic, it was going to take a while.

Victor returned with some soup and sat down next to Chris placing the tray on the bed. Wyatt orbed into the room and Victor got up to leave. He knew that Chris would need Wyatt and he really needed to get that dining room picked up before Chris ventured downstairs. He glanced back over his shoulder as he felt a chill while passing Wyatt. He had never sensed Wyatt's power before now. He hoped he was making the right decision. He was suddenly plagued with doubt. He mentally shrugged. Wyatt had all but raised the boy; he wasn't going to hurt him now. Before he turned to leave the room he saw Wyatt sit down gently on the bed next to Chris.

He closed the door as he headed towards the stairs. He let the tears fall that he had been holding in. Magic had taken his wife, his eldest daughter, his time traveling grandson, driven away his middle child and has now taken his youngest and their sister that he considered a daughter too. He shook his head. This wasn't fair! After all they had done for 'the greater good', as he had heard it called, didn't they deserve a better fate? The tears continued to fall as walked down the stairs to restart the cleanup effort.

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~

Wyatt sat down on the bed beside Chris and pointed to the soup and said, "Eat."

Chris gave him some puppy dog eyes but Wyatt only moved the bowl closer. "I am not telling you again, Christopher, eat!" he all but yelled at him.

Chris obediently picked up the spoon and took a bite. Wyatt stood and began to pace the room. Chris could feel his anger rolling off him in waves and Chris shrunk back against the headboard of his bed. Wyatt stopped pacing and looked at Chris. He could feel Chris's fear spiking. Wyatt closed his eyes and reached down inside himself to close off their bond. The feelings abruptly stopped, Chris gave an inaudible sigh of relief and he looked up to his big brother.

Wyatt pointed one finger at the bowl in Chris's lap. Chris understood the unspoken command and took another spoonful of soup. Wyatt began to pace again and said, "I didn't want to do this now. You need to eat and rest." He looked back at Chris.

Chris could see that his eyes had lost the warmth and love they once held. Chris replied, "Wy, I'm fine…"

But he was beginning to think that he should have just kept his mouth shut. "Fine? You're fine? That's great, that means I didn't have to hunt you down and find you passed out from exhaustion," Wyatt stated angrily.

Chris opened his mouth to answer but Wyatt kept going, "I thought you knew better than to go after demons by yourself. Was I not specific enough with that?" Wyatt began mumbling but all Chris could make out was 'in my own home. I couldn't even keep him safe in my own home.' Then he began to yell, "Damn it Chris! Don't you understand you can't go running off by yourself! And to do what, defend HER?"

Again Chris opened his mouth but Wyatt continued, "You are not leaving this house again, do you hear me? And I cannot emphasize this enough, YOU ARE **NOT** TO SEE **HER** AGAIN!"

Chris, at that moment, was really glad that their bond was shut down because even without it the rage that Wyatt was showing was tangible. Wyatt was mumbling again, 'how can I keep him safe if he isn't near me?' When he spoke again he was calmer and he said, "I am putting wards around the house. Nothing is getting in or out by magic."

Chris was finally able to get in a word, "Wy…"

But only that word before Wyatt said, "Shut up, Christopher! I should have done that years ago and maybe…" He trailed off but Chris knew that he meant maybe their aunts would still be alive. With that thought tears welled up in Chris's eyes. Again Wyatt was mumbling, 'only way to keep them safe. I will move up the timeline.' He paused again and looked right at Chris before pointing at the food again yelling, "EAT!" The voice that he used wasn't one that Chris was used to hearing; it was deeper and full of anger. Chris began to earnestly shovel food into his mouth while the tears fell. He wasn't hungry and didn't even taste the food as it he chewed but he didn't want to do anything to make Wyatt angrier.

Wyatt saw Chris's tears and his heart softened a little. He was doing this to protect his baby brother. Why couldn't Chris understand that? His voice was much quieter as he said, "Then get some rest." And he turned around and left the room.

Chris finished the mouthful of food he had and he placed the bowl on the floor and laid back down, tears still streaming. Wyatt had been so angry and some of that rage was sent directly to Chris for saving their mother. He rolled over and curled into a ball. He felt that not only had he lost his aunts but his brother as well.

Wyatt stepped into the dining room quietly watching his grandfather as he was cleaning the demolished area before saying:

"Let the object of objection become but a dream

As I cause the scene to become unseen."

The room magically cleaned itself back up. Victor looked up gratefully and said, "Thank you, Wyatt."

Wyatt only gave a nod as he passed and went into the kitchen. Victor followed him as Wyatt began to make a couple of sandwiches. He handed one over to Victor and said, "You are going to have to keep an eye on him."

Victor nodded his thanks and was about to take a bite but set the sandwich down and said, "Where are you going to be?"

Wyatt continued, "I am placing a protection around the house, nothing will be able to enter or leave magically."

And to answer the first question Wyatt said, "I won't be around for a while. There are things that need to be set up so nothing can hurt my family again." With that he pounded his fist on the table.

They both ate in silence for a while before Wyatt said, "If either of you need me, you can call for me. I will return. I am going to first fix the police intervention so that they won't know what really happened here, and then I have other things that need to be done." Wyatt was so determined and vicious sounding that Victor didn't dare interrupt him.

When Wyatt was finished with his sandwich he went up to the attic. He threw some herbs into cauldron and then filled it with small crystal grains, cut his finger allowing the blood to drip into the pot, and then said:

Magical forces throughout the land

Bless with protection this cauldron of sand

Hide here all that is mine

Safely behind a magical line

He gathered the contents into a large sack and orbed outside and sprinkled the tiny crystals in a circle around the house. He walked back into the manor through the front door, satisfied that his spell would keep any magic already within inside and all other magic outside. The only way they would be able to enter would now be through the doors. He walked up to Chris's room and knocked.

Chris had been sitting up contemplating what to do next when he heard the knock on his door. He hastily wiped his tears from his face and said, "Come in."

Wyatt's eyes went immediately to the half-finished bowl of soup and Chris blushed. "You need to go and get a sandwich when you take that down," Wyatt informed him.

Chris nodded, "Yes sir." He understood the command in that sentence and there was no sense in fighting him right now.

Wyatt paused and then said, "I placed protection around the house, not that it matters because I want you here or at school. Do you hear me?"

Chris looked down and quietly said, "Yes, sir."

Wyatt gave a half nod and said, "Good. I have some things to do; I won't be around for a while."

That got Chris's attention, his eyes shot up to his brother's as he asked, "But what about…" then he trailed off. He wanted to ask about the police and the funeral plans and his cousins and… well everything.

Wyatt only said, "I'll handle the police." Then he pointed a finger towards him and said, "You listen to Grandpa while I'm gone." And he walked out of the room. Then Chris heard the front door slam shut.

Chris sighed; this wasn't the brother he knew. Sure he was doing his big brother thing, making sure he ate and stayed safe but something was off. Chris was sure it was something evil. He hung his head and wondered what he should do. Suddenly a thought occurred to him, Grandpa. Grandpa knew something about that other Chris. He raced downstairs to talk with his grandfather.

He ran straight into the kitchen that Victor was tidying up. Victor didn't turn to face him but said, "I made a sandwich for you, and it's on the table."

Chris didn't sit instead he said, "Tell me about the other Chris."

Victor turned around with wide eyes, this was not a discussion he wanted to have but it seems his grandson was intent. He pointed to the sandwich on the table and said, "You eat and I'll talk."

Chris sat down obediently and picked up the sandwich taking a bite.

Victor paused and got a faraway look in his eye as he said, "At first we didn't know who he was. All I was told was that the girls had a new whitelighter and that Leo had become an Elder. I didn't even meet you until your mom had figured out who you were." He chuckled at the memory as he said, "You told me I was awesome; quite the reputation to live up to." His smile dropped as the said the next thing, "You told me your mother died."

Chris nodded sadly, Piper had told him about that.

Victor continued, "But he was just like you, strong and determined and he loved his family. Of course, he actually knew his family," Victor looked down as he said that.

Chris saw the remorse and said, "It's ok, Grandpa, I know all the family members that matter."

Victor looked up, still sad and said, "You… he died trying to save Wyatt. It was the same day you were born. I don't know what all happened but big you was gone and baby you was there in his place. Then your mom started saying how she was the trigger and that she needed to leave. Her sisters tried to prevent her but when she makes up her mind there is no stopping her."

Chris nodded; he was beginning to see it.

They sat for a while in companionable silence before Victor said, "And now we are here."

Chris looked back up at his grandfather and understood. They needed to make funeral arrangements. Tears welled up in Chris's eyes as he said, "They would want to be buried by Aunt Prue in the family plot."

Victor nodded, unable to speak for a moment. When he finally did say something it was, "I will take care of it all. You just worry about you, ok?"

Chris leaned over and hugged his grandfather whispering, "Thanks, Grandpa."

Victor just patted him on the back.

Chris went up to his room and got ready for bed. He wondered when Wyatt was going to come home. He wondered if he should go to school tomorrow. He wondered if he should contact his cousins. He wondered if he was ever going to fall asleep…

When Chris woke up he decided to follow his normal day. He got ready and went to school. He didn't remember anything that his teachers said. All day long he wondered what to do. He really wanted to check in on his cousins but had no idea what to say to them.

As he started to walk home he heard Seth calling for him, "Hey, wait up." And as he got closer Seth put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and said, "How are you holding up?"

Chris only shook his head, pulling his friend into an alley and then orbed them both to Seth's room. His tears began to fall again. He thought he was all cried out. This was getting ridiculous; he was fourteen for God's sake, why was he still crying?

Seth waited until the tears stopped and Chris told him everything that had happened. It was nice to be able to talk to a friend that understood. Not that he had any friends other than Seth but he couldn't tell anyone that a group of demons killed his aunts. He probably should have just stayed home today. He told Seth that his grandpa was making the funeral arrangements and that he would call him with the information.

Seth gave him a manly half hug and said, "If you need anything, call me. I mean it, ok."

Chris gave a sad smile and said, "Thanks, man, I will," before he orbed to his backyard. He knew Wyatt had put a protection spell around the house. He looked and saw the sand sprinkled around it. He walked to the front door and entered the manor.

Wyatt came into the foyer towards Chris yelling, "Where the hell have you been?" Grabbing him by the throat and shoving him into a wall.

Chris reached his hands up to Wyatt's and tried to pry them off; the world was beginning to grey as he fought for breath, "Wy… please."

Wyatt dropped him and took a few steps away. Chris's hands went around his own throat, he was sure he would have bruises.

Wyatt yelled, "I thought I told you that you could be at home or school. Was that unclear?"

Chris was barely able to choke out, "No sir." A few tears leaked out of Chris's eyes. He couldn't believe how angry Wyatt was. Sure, he knew he was supposed to head straight home but for Wyatt to choke him for not listening? That was the last thing he ever thought his brother would be capable of.

Wyatt began shouting again, "Did you go and see HER?" He had turned and lifted Chris telekinetically by the throat up into the air.

Chris's feet dangled as he was held and he was trying to shake his head, "No sir." Chris clawed at the invisible force that retained him and cut off his air supply.

Wyatt dropped him and got into his face, "Then where were you?"

Chris heaved in a huge breath of air. He was scared; he could feel the rage pouring off of Wyatt but knew that their bond was closed. He quickly said, "I went to Seth's, I'm sorry, Wy. I wasn't thinking, I just needed someone to talk to." The words tumbled over the other in his haste to set the record straight. In his entire life Wyatt had never tried to hurt him, especially not with magic. Chris tried in vain to stop the tears coursing down his face.

Wyatt stared him down for a long moment then stalked away yelling, "Damn it, I just want to keep you safe; can't you understand that? How am I supposed to do that if you won't listen to me?"

Chris wiped the tears that had fallen as he said, "I'm sorry, Wy, it won't happen again. I will be home right after school lets out, I promise."

"What would you have done if I hadn't come home this early? I can't be here every step of the way to hold your hand," Wyatt shouted.

Chris was still pleading, "I would have come home like I did now, Wy, please. I only needed to talk with a friend." Chris was winning the battle against the tears but he didn't understand how his brother could be so angry.

Just at that moment Victor came through the front door. He stopped as he took in the tension in the room, "What's going on here?" He looked at Wyatt and then to Chris and asked, "Chris?"

Chris wiped his arm across his face to dry any remaining tears and said, "It's nothing, Grandpa, I'm just late." Then he directed his next words to Wyatt, "And it won't happen again, I swear."

Wyatt looked from Chris to his grandfather and back to Chris before he said, "It better not." And he stormed out the front door and orbed away.

Chris slumped to the wall behind him and Victor ran up to him. "What happened, Chris?" But before Chris could answer Victor had seen the marks on his neck, "Did Wyatt do that?" Victor was horrified.

Chris shook his head no but when he looked in his grandpa's eyes he couldn't lie. "He was just upset, he told me to come straight home but I went to Seth's house."

Victor dragged Chris to the kitchen, got a towel and put some ice in it. He then placed it on Chris's neck. Out of habit more than anything else Victor looked back over his shoulder and said, "This can't happen again, Chris. I can't let him hurt you."

Chris chuckled and said, "It's not like it's the first time he raised a hand to me."

Victor shook his head and said, "Chris, you can't compare a spanking when you've done something dangerous to him choking you."

Chris turned red and looked away, he had no idea that grandpa knew about the spankings. He knew his grandfather was right though, the first was discipline the second was abuse.

Chris shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Grandpa, I'll figure something out. I just…" He paused and then the idea came to him, "I need you to call the school and tell them I will be out for the rest of the week. That way Wyatt won't know that I am missing any classes. I have been working out an idea with Mom that just might work."

Victor grew concerned, what could these two possibly be plotting? "Whoa, slow down here, what kind of plan?"

Chris sighed, "Look, I don't want to talk about it here, Wyatt could come home anytime. Besides, we have more important matters to discuss." Chris was redirecting the conversation, "We still need to make funeral arrangements."

Victor placed his hand on Chris's shoulder, not sure if he should end the Wyatt talk or not but eventually decided to let it go. He trusted Chris and even though he felt she had made a huge mistake with leaving the boys, he trusted his daughter too. "Ok, but promise me you will stay safe," Victor pleaded with him.

Chris gave a mischievous grin and said, "I'll do my best."

They both paused for a moment before Victor said, "I already set everything up for the funeral. Your aunts will be buried next to Prue." He had to pause as the seriousness of the conversation began to set in. "Tomorrow afternoon we will have a closed casket viewing then we will head over to the graveside services." It was so hard to talk about this but he still wondered, "Do you think your mom will come?"

Chris shook his head, "No, I don't think that would be such a good idea with Wyatt around. He forbade me from seeing her again." Victor looked up in shock but Chris said, "Don't worry. I'll think of something."

Wyatt didn't come home that night; or if he did he left really early. Chris got up and ready, making sure his grandfather called the school to have him excused for the week. There wasn't any problem considering the recent deaths in the family. Chris put on his tie and thought about how he was going to see his mom. First he needed to get through the funeral and then people would probably want to come over. He would see her tomorrow, he would let Wyatt think he was going to school and he would get Seth to help cover for him again. He was glad he was wearing a dress shirt, he thought as he buttoned up the top button. It would hide the bruises that Wyatt put there yesterday. He shook his head, that wasn't the brother that had raised him. If he was sure of anything he was sure of that. He had to fix this and he realized that in time things would only get worse. He thought about the picture of him in the past. This time he would make the right changes, this time he would use their bond to help him reach Wyatt. This time he would do it right.

TBC


	13. The Plan

**Chapter 13**

**The Plan**

Piper waited until after the funeral, watching sadly as the mourners moved away from the graves. She knew she wouldn't be welcome, Wyatt had said as much. She wished she could at least comfort Chris but was not sure what his reaction would be. Sure, he had come to save her but possibly at the cost of both his aunts' lives. She hung her head. This was her fault, and she had been so sure…

Piper looked down at the graves of her three sisters and a tear rolled down her face. This wasn't supposed to happen. Her leaving was supposed to give her boys a better future; not end her sisters' lives. She stopped first at Prue's grave and put a rose in front of the stone. She placed her hand on the letters to her sister's name and said, "You would have made a better choice, I know. You were always the strong one."

She stepped over to Phoebe's grave and placed a rose in front of it saying, "You were right, both you and Paige. I never should have left." She placed the last rose in front of Paige's grave and said, "I know I did this all wrong. One more trip forward for me, one more trip back for him… We will set this all straight." With that Piper stood and said these words:

Charmed power of three manifested in one

By the power of this mother's love for her son

Take me to where it can give a voice

To see if this mother is making the right choice.

She watched as the white and gold lights surronded around her and she closed her eyes. When she felt that she had stopped moving she opened her eyes and found she was standing behind a tree. She leaned around the tree and realized she was in a graveyard. She watched as people were leaving a funeral. There was one lone man sitting in front of the grave with his head hung. She knew instantly it was Chris. Her eyes flew to the back and she saw a familiar sight. Leo was standing staring at Chris, neither of them following the other mourners. She wondered when she was but sadly, she thought she was probably at her father's funeral again.

Piper focused her attention on Leo and screamed in her head for him. His eyes shot to hers, he stood wide eyed for a moment before orbing to her.

He reappeared behind her and was speaking before she could turn around, "Piper." She heard him say. She turned and opened her mouth to speak but only stood there.

Leo enveloped her in a hug and with tears in his eyes said, "Why didn't you tell me?" Before she had a chance to speak Leo looked over her shoulder for a moment then orbed them away.

When they rematerialized Leo began pacing, saying, "He hates me. Hates me! Why didn't you tell me, Piper? Why did I have to find out when I came to find you…" he stopped and looked at her.

Piper was confused, what was he talking about, and then she realized, "Chris."

His eyes bore through her, "Yes Chris, my son, the son I never even knew about. Damn it, Piper! For God's sake, I thought he was Paige's son! You should have told me! Instead it was Wyatt…" He broke off.

Piper caught only one part of that, "Paige's son? Why on earth would Chris be Paige's son?"

Leo stopped his pacing and looked at her; he hung his head and said, "When they died. He orbed in and kneeled before Paige crying. He suddenly said 'Mom' and orbed away, I thought he meant her!" He looked at her pleading with her to understand.

She shook her head and said, "He came to **me**. He saved **me** that day, using what were presumably Elder powers." Was that only a week ago? God, it felt like years had passed since that day. Piper took a moment to view her surroundings. This was her apartment. She looked over at Leo and said, "Wait, you said Wyatt told you Chris was your son?"

Leo began to pace again as he said, "Told me? No. He gloated over the fact that an Elder didn't even know his own children. Oh God, Piper, Wyatt's gone off the rails. The only thing he cares about is power, that and converting Chris to his side. Coop told me that Chris had been trying to warn them; that you and he were trying to come up with a plan but when your sisters died, Wyatt just lost it."

Leo looked up at Piper sharply and asked, "Why didn't you tell me? You could have called me before you took him into hiding!"

Piper didn't understand, "What? Before I took who into hiding?"

Leo paused and regarded her for a moment before asking, "When… where…" He huffed a breath and then tried again, "When are you from?" He needed to find out how much she knew before he explained everything.

Piper sighed and said, "I just came from my sisters' funerals." Tears welled up in her eyes but she tried to push away the memory. She had to focus on what her mission here was. She paused and then looked up at him to ask, "How did you know I came from the past?"

Leo shook his head and ignored the last question. He took in a deep breath and said, "Two weeks after your sisters died, Wyatt led an army of demons above ground. You took Chris to protect him. You hid him for six months before Wyatt found you two. Now he has Chris…" Leo hung his head.

Piper stood and looked out the window and what she saw devastated her; the city was in ruins. "It was all for nothing… I gave up our sons for nothing? Wyatt still becomes evil? And now he has Chris?" She ended the words in a sob. "You said I was the trigger! I thought if I left then they could be happy."

Leo was staring at her, "What are you talking about?" None of what she was saying was making sense; he never told her that she was any kind of trigger.

She looked back at him and said, "The future, the past, ugh! Whatever! You know that Chris came back to our past and died, right?"

Leo had the decency to look ashamed; he hadn't heard that until years after the fact. He never even put it together that this Chris was the same whitelighter from the future that came back to warn them about Wyatt until recently. He said softly, "Yeah, I found out." He didn't tell her the rest, it was written all over his face.

"The day he died I gave birth to our son," She tried to explain. Then she waved her hand, "Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself here. When I found out I was pregnant I went to the future and talked with a future you. You told me I was the trigger for Wyatt's turning evil. We knew there was more but I was so sure that this was the only way!" She drew in a breath, "I thought that if I wasn't around then they could be happy. You have to understand, what I saw was horrible." She looked out the window again and figured Leo would already understand how awful it was. "I'm… I'm sorry I never told you. You had made up your mind to stay up there, I thought…"

She paused as something Leo had said came back to her and she asked, "You said you came down to find me, where am I?"

The look Leo gave her was heart wrenching as he said, "That was your funeral. I felt you die." He looked down and continued, "I came down and saw you but you were already gone and Wyatt…" Leo broke off in a sob.

Piper reached to comfort him saying, "What?"

Leo drug in a deep breath and said, "Wyatt laughed." At Piper's look of horror, Leo explained, "He was hell bent on finding Chris. He sent demons out to find him. You kept him well hidden but he worried about Victor." Leo paused, remembering all the details that Coop and Henry had filled him in on. "You and he went to the manor. Victor wasn't there but demons were. The two of you tried to fight them but there were too many. Chris…" Leo paused as he tried to gather the strength to finish, "he watched you die."

Piper crumbled to the ground sobbing, "Nooo, not again." This was what she had left to prevent. This couldn't be happening again. Tears fell unchecked down her face.

Leo kneeled to the ground next to her and held her. He continued his story feeling that Piper needed the whole truth, "I orbed in just as the demons were shimmering out. I saw Chris standing there in shock and I called out to him. He yelled at me that I didn't know him." Leo hung his head as he said, "And I didn't. He orbed out when Wyatt came. That was when Wyatt laughed. He only stayed around long enough to taunt me before finding Chris.

"He found Chris at Coop's house and dragged him off. Now he has bound his powers and has some kind of tracker on him watching his every move." Leo shook his head, still not fully understanding all of this.

"He was our son. That whole time in the past, he was our son…" Leo said and then looked up at Piper with the saddest eyes she had ever seen, "I never knew! And now he hates me. We should have trusted him; we should have done everything in our power to help him. Maybe if we had…" He couldn't even finish the statement. The two Chris's in his mind melting together to become a strange hybrid of past and present tense. Tears began to fall from his eyes and he grabbed on to Piper and hugged her as if holding her could change the past.

Piper held on to Leo just as strongly. Even though it had been years since the two had been together at that moment nothing else mattered. Soul mates, even though separated by time, had found their way back together. They cried in each other's arms for a past they both regretted. So many wrong choices they had each made along the way. It all started when Chris came to the past, each wrong choice led them here. They had to do everything differently this time.

Piper got off the ground and began to pace; she was speaking to herself when she said, "No, it won't happen that way. This time I will know from the moment I see him! I don't care what he says; I will not treat him as a stranger again! He is my son damn it! I will find a way." She stopped pacing and looked at Leo who had also risen, "I will fix it this time, I swear, NOTHING WILL BE THE SAME!" And with that she stepped back and said forcefully:

"A Time for Everything and to everything its place.

Return what has been moved Through Time and Space."

Suddenly the gold and white lights surrounded her. She found herself in front of the graves again. She patted the headstone and said, "I will fix it this time. I know that none of this is right." She nodded to herself and walked away.

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The next day Chris showed back up at Pipers place; she had been preparing for this since she returned from the future. She didn't know how she was going to explain what she saw to him but she knew she had to try. Everything she had planned to say went out of her head as she watched him. He stood staring at her for a moment before walking over and engulfing her in a hug. They held each other for a moment before Chris said, "I'm sorry, Mom, I wasn't there to help them."

It warmed her heart to hear the name 'Mom' again. Good timing too, because she needed the boost as she heard the rest of his explanation, "Aunt Phoebe told me to take the kids, so I did. I made sure that the cousins, Grandpa and my uncles were safe but by then I was too late. I'm sorry." He was crying on her shoulder.

She couldn't believe he was blaming himself! She took his face in her hands and said, "No, Christopher, this isn't your fault! You did as you were told and then some! You saved your cousins, grandfather and uncles and then came right around to save me! You are NOT to blame for any of this, do you hear me?"

He nodded and whispered, "Yes ma'am."

Piper was temporarily thrown by the title but persisted, "If anyone is to blame it is me. I never should have left." She paused and let go of his face. She couldn't let him bear this burden. This was all on her. She should have tried harder to find a way to prevent this. She should have stayed with her children and fought. Instead she ran away. How could she have been so wrong?

She looked down but it was Chris who spoke first, "You should have seen him, Wyatt, I mean." He subconsciously rubbed his throat, but Piper missed the action. "I have never seen or felt him so angry, even when I got caught by Barbas." Quick flashes of the night crossed his mind. Then again, maybe he had seen Wyatt that angry. He had seen him like that in his dreams and in the vision that Barbas sent him.

Piper looked up and said, "You got caught by Barbas? When? Oh my God…" She had worried when she thought that Wyatt was going to face Barbas but to find out her baby had been caught by him was unbelievable.

Chris was shaking his head, "It was a while ago, I'm fine, nothing happened," He said as he thought, 'well, nothing happened with Barbas.' He had no intention to tell her what happened between him and Wyatt. He continued, "It's just, Wyatt, he has never struck me in anger." His hand reached again for his throat. This time Piper did see and followed his fingers to the bruise near his collar.

Piper grabbed his hand and took a closer look, unable to believe what she was seeing, "Wyatt did that?" There were finger print bruises on both sides of his neck. "He… he choked you?" Piper asked in shock.

Chris looked down as he said, "Yes and now… now I'm afraid." He looked back up to her before he tried to explain, "I was never scared of him before. Sure, I was afraid of the punishment if I got in trouble." Chris blushed as he said it.

Piper was suddenly reminded of how Chris had said that Wyatt had grounded him.

"Mom, I am scared he might lose it and really hurt me. He's been like a father to me but now I don't even know him. Wyatt closed off the bond so I don't even know how he is feeling…"

Piper interrupted him, "Bond?" she felt completely lost as if Chris was talking in another language and only a few of the words were making sense. Her and her sisters had shared a bond but nothing they could 'close off'.

He quickly explained, "We share a bond, I can feel him, he can feel me, he knows where I am," He gave a shrewd grin and said, "Well, he would if I hadn't blocked him with a spell so I could see you. It is just something we always had." He paused again before saying, "You know, he recently told me he had been controlling it, apparently at one time it was even stronger. I wonder how strong it would be now if he hadn't been dampening it all along." He was really thinking about this. The longer you worked with your own powers the stronger they became. Their bond was already pretty strong and had taken a really good spell to block it. If they had always let it flow…

Piper shook her head and said, "Ok, you have a bond, I really want to know more but we need to focus. I think I know when you can go back to fix everything. And this time I mean really fix it." Time was running out. If things proceeded she had less than two weeks before Wyatt would lead his army of demons above ground.

Chris took in a deep breath and said, "You found the time, the one we talked about?"

Good thing she was finally back on his wavelength or that almost coherent sentence would have thrown her. She instead smiled and said, "Yes, before," and then she paused. She bolstered herself back with the thought that if she was right and they fixed this that none of it would happen. "Before they died I remembered something. And after they died I went back to the future just to be sure I was making the right decision to allow you to go back."

Chris pushed away from her saying, "Allow me? Allow me? You just try to stop me! We will fix this! I want my big brother back. I want my family back!" Instead of weeping with these words his voice became stronger. He was certain this would work! "Tell me when and I will make it happen," he said forcefully.

"Before I tell you about when, I need to tell you what I found out when I went to the future," Piper began hesitantly. She didn't want to tell him any of this but he needed to know. She paused again and raised her hand up to brush the hair out of his eyes. He was so young; could she really send him back alone?

Chris made a slight growling sound when he said, "Mom!" Trying to get her attention, she looked like she was lost in thought and he really wanted to know what she had found out.

"Sorry, it's just you're only fourteen. The other Chris was in his twenties when he came back, but…" She paused again, he needed to know. "When I went to the future I found out that Wyatt is going to lead an Army of demons. He is going to do this in two weeks."

"That is what he was talking about!" Chris exclaimed, "He said he was going to move up the timeline and he has been meeting with demons." He looked back at Piper and saw she was holding something else back so he asked, "What?"

"In that future I took you and tried to hide you but Wyatt's demons found us. He bound your powers. If we are going to do this, we need to do this now." Piper said but then added quickly, "But, maybe if you hid and I went back…"

Chris had been expecting something like this. Well, ok, not like this but he expected Piper to not want to send him. He had already considered waiting but that wasn't what he wanted to do. Not only did he have a plan, he had a counter argument, "I hear what you are saying, but we need to do this fast. If he finds me and binds my powers we're sunk! Besides, I know I can reach Wyatt this time. I know how our bond works. Well, at least I know how to use it and I'm afraid if I wait that our bond will weaken. And I really think that somehow it is meant to be me that goes back. There has to be a reason it was always me."

Piper would be the first to admit she didn't understand their bond. She hoped and prayed her past self would get the chance to really appreciate it. Piper finally relented, things could be much worse if he stayed with his brother during these next few years. And if she was honest, she didn't think she would be able to do much to keep Chris from going back to his brother in time. If she went back then he would be here without any protection. She couldn't risk that if she failed. She had even considered going with him but had to make sure that Wyatt stayed here in this time. If he even suspected that Chris went back to the past he could go and try to stop him himself. She was sending Chris back to the past well before he had a chance to form a resistance so that meant she needed to stay around to do it.

Piper led them into the kitchen and began to make them some coffee as she explained, "There was a time before the Titans, and not very long before the Titans that we came across an innocent." She paused as her mind's eye replayed the incident, "We brought her into the attic and we were trying to find the vanquishing potion for the Trisor demon when the demon shimmered into the room. We were all standing there, I was on the right, Phoebe in the middle and Paige was on the left with the innocent. Suddenly the demon flared and became three demons, one right in front of each of us. All at once we each tried something different. I raised my hands to blow it up but nothing happened. Nothing, not a flicker or anything, it just stared at me, mocking me. Phoebe ran up and tried to give it a high kick but she passed right through it and landed in the center of the room. The innocent was so frightened that she grabbed Paige's arm causing her to trip over the leg of a nearby chair. When Paige fell the Trisor demon lurched forward and killed the innocent with a long curved sword and shimmered out of the room. It was terrible. We had no idea why she was attacked, but the demon seemed to be working alone.

"Later we discovered that projecting of images of itself was the Trisor demon's power. The ones in front of me and Phoebe were the projections and the real one was in front of Paige." Piper shook her head as if to clear it and looked back at Chris and said, "If you went there and had the potion ready you could kill the demon before it kills the innocent. Not only would you save her but it would give us a reason to trust you."

Chris gave her a disbelieving smile and said, "As I seem to recall, trust isn't a big Halliwell trait."

Piper smiled, "Well, that is where I come in. You are going to give past me a letter from me telling her to trust you," Then Piper added quickly, "And then you are going to tell her you are her son."

Chris said, "Oh no, I will give her a note but I am not telling them anything!"

Piper gave in saying, "Fine, but promise me you will give her the letter. She must trust you for this to work."

Chris gave her a small smile and said, "I promise."

Piper smiled back at him and said, "Ok, you will work on the potion when you get back to the book and I will work on the note."

Chris nodded then paused and said, "I mean it, Piper, don't tell her who I am or I won't give it to her."

Piper put on a mock stern look and said, "I thought I was 'Mom'?"

Chris shifted uncomfortably and said, "Well, you might be, but she isn't. Not yet. Look… Mom… That's the deal; I will give her the note so long as it doesn't say who I am."

Piper gave him a stern stare before seemingly to relent, "Fine, you won't see one word about your last name being Halliwell." And that was a promise she intended to keep, she was sure he wouldn't 'see' anything.

Chris gave her an assessing stare before nodding then glancing at his watch. "Hey, I gotta go before Wyatt notices I'm missing." He reached over and hugged her, she was so shocked by the show of emotion she almost didn't hug him back. Almost.

She whispered to him, "I love you."

Chris backed up and gave her a small smile before orbing away.

TBC


	14. Moving Forward

**Chapter 14 **

**Moving Forward**

Chris orbed to the backyard and walked around the house to the front door. He carefully opened it and shut it behind him. He was quietly walking towards the stairs when the light flicked on. He froze and slowly raised his head to reveal his grandfather looking at him. He breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"What are you doing sneaking in like that?" Victor asked him.

"Is Wyatt here?" Chris asked looking around behind Victor.

Victor replied, "No, he hasn't come home yet."

Chris relaxed and said, "I just went to see Mom. He would kill…" They both paused as they heard the sound of orbs outside of the house. Chris quickly mouthed kitchen and they almost ran into it together. Chris grabbed the tea pot and began to fill it with water. Then he took off his hoodie and stuffed it into a lower cabinet.

Victor understood what was going on and he went to grab a couple of cups and some tea bags. Just then Wyatt strode in the kitchen. He looked a mess and his clothes were torn in places but it was his eyes that were the most concerning. They were cold and dark. His gaze locked on Chris and he said, "Christopher, what are you doing?" The voice was quiet but menacing.

Chris jumped and turned to face his brother saying, "I couldn't sleep so I thought I would get something to drink. Grandpa was still up so I was making us some tea." He paused and tried to sound nonchalant as he asked, "You want some?"

Wyatt stared at him for a few moments before saying, "No. I'm going to bed." He turned to leave but looked back over his shoulder and said, "Don't be up too late."

Both Victor and Chris let out their breath. That had been WAY too close. Chris was sure if he was caught that Wyatt would bind his powers, to say nothing of a physical punishment. Victor crossed the room and pulled his grandson into a hug. They stood there for a moment, not saying anything for fear it would be overheard. Chris whispered, "It's ok. Everything is going to be ok."

The teapot began to whistle and Victor went to pour the hot water into the cups. If they were using this as an excuse, they might as well follow through. So far they were in the clear but Wyatt was smart, they could not underestimate him.

The two sat at the table and placed the cups in front of them. Chris looked back towards the door to check to see if he could see Wyatt. He didn't see him so he sensed for him. Wyatt was in his room. Chris got up and walked to the sink. He poured out the tea and rinsed the cup before setting it down. He gave his grandfather a small smile and said, "I'll see you after school." And he gave him a wink then left the kitchen heading for his own bedroom.

Victor watched him walk away and silently prayed that his grandson would stay safe. He had a feeling that the boy was going back in time again. Victor wanted to stop him but knew if they waited much longer his overprotective brother would do something stupid like bind Chris's powers… Or hurt him… Or both. He shook his head and took a sip of his tea. Who would have thought that these were the worries you would have for your fourteen year old grandson.

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The next morning Chris got ready for school as usual. He double checked to make sure that Wyatt was gone before he exited the house and orbed over to Seth's. "Are you sure you should be doing this?" Seth asked.

Chris replied, "Look, you don't know everything that is going on but trust me when I say that I need to see my mom more now than ever." He paused and considered if he should say anything more. Seth was his best friend; he deserved to know the truth, at least as much as Chris could give him. "Listen, something happened to Wyatt when my Aunts died. He is really losing it. He… He choked me that day we talked because I didn't come straight home." Chris subconsciously rubbed his throat.

Seth's eyes grew round as he saw the subtle bruising still on Chris's neck, "Oh shit! He did that?" Seth walked over to Chris to get a better look.

Chris raised his shirt collar up and said, "It's fine, but now you know. I need her help. Besides, my grandpa knows and he has already told the school that I won't be coming in so no one should be calling Wyatt. I really need to do something before he finds out I am still seeing my mom and binds my powers."

Seth put a reassuring hand on his shoulders. He knew something had been going on but he didn't understand how serious it all was. "Anything you need man, you know I am here for you." Seth told him sincerely.

Chris said, "Thanks, I really appreciate it. Just… Look, if I don't come back here… Stay away from Wyatt. Far away. Trust me, I'll be safe."

Seth gave him a curious look but didn't say anymore. He watched as Chris did the blocking spells and then the spell to take him to see his mother. He shook his head wishing he could do more for his best friend.

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Piper had come up with the perfect letter for Chris and she even honored her promise to him. There would be nothing for him to see in the letter saying that he was her son. She had worded it very carefully because she was sure Chris would read it. She smiled when she saw her youngest child appear in her living room. "Hey there," She said to him when he completely formed.

Chris gave her a small grin and walked over to give her a hug. He held the hug for a second longer than necessary before saying, "I need to leave soon. Wyatt is getting more and more suspicious of me, and seriously, I am afraid of what he will do if catches me seeing you."

Piper sucked in a breath. Were they ready? They did have a time and place Chris needed to be to start this whole thing rolling. Many things were going to be different this time around. "I think we are ready with getting you there. We have the plan to save the innocent. The only thing left is how to stop the Titans before they decimated the Elders." She said to him. Her only hope was that they would listen to Chris. She and Chris discussed how to go about having a meeting with them to let them know of the threat. He would say he was sent from the future by Piper to protect the Elders. "I have a plan for that. I wrote a letter to Leo too."

Chris gave her a look and Piper said, "I know, you don't want him to know he's your father. I promise you won't see one word." She smiled to herself inwardly but outwardly she continued, "I told him to trust you and to help you with the Elders."

Chris withdrew a little and finally asked, "Are you sure they will believe me?" She could feel his insecurity and wanted to kick herself. The Chris she had known was so much more confident. Then she realized, her whitelighter Chris had been eight years older and a lot more hardened by experience.

"Chris, I was just thinking…" She paused, he really didn't need more self-doubt but now she was questioning everything. Chris just looked at her and waited. "It's just that, you're only fourteen. Maybe we should wait until you are older. The other Chris came back when he was more than twenty. Maybe… Maybe we could hide you here for a while?" She could hide him, she knew she could. She also knew that if she did manage to convince him to stay, she would have to hide him. She had to keep Wyatt from corrupting her son.

"You know we already talked about this. You were the one that told me that if I stayed and we tried to hide that Wyatt would find me." Chris stated. He really didn't want to discuss this with her. He knew if she kept pushing he would back down and stay. And he really didn't want to stick around to find out what else Wyatt would do to him that he may not have told anyone else about. Just thinking those thoughts he blushed. There were LOTS of things that could happen to him that he would never mention, the wooden spoon was at the forefront of his mind. Besides he really felt it should be him that went back. There had to be a reason it was always him that went back; like somehow it was cosmically destined to be him.

He looked up at her with his best puppy dog expression and said, "Please, Mom. It has to be now."

Piper gave a small sigh; there was no way she could say no to that look. She briefly wondered if he would always have that power over her. She hoped for her younger self that it wasn't the case. She took in a deep breath and said, "OK, I guess you are right." She didn't want to let him go but they couldn't repeat the mistakes of the past. They already knew the consequences if Chris stayed.

Piper decided to change the subject. She had been thinking of something that might help him but already figured; knowing the other Chris, that he would be hesitant to accept this form of help. She pressed her lips together for a moment before pushing forward, "Listen, I was also thinking you should take the diaries with you."

Chris was frowning and said, "You know I can't show them, there are too many future consequences."

Piper cringed at the words, was the boy born with that saying imprinted on him? She said, "You may need it for reference or there may come a time you will show them. Either way, you will have them."

Chris relented and took the books. He paused and said, "Are you sure I am going to keep my powers when I go to the past?"

Piper smiled and pulled out a piece of paper and a lighter, "I didn't forget. Here, read this spell then light the paper."

Chris gratefully accepted both the paper and lighter before he read:

In this night and in this hour

I call upon the ancient power

Present and past now combine

Allowing me to keep the powers that are mine

Then he lit the paper watching it burn up in a flash. He looked over at his mother and said, "Do you think you could add some powers, like being able to heal would be nice."

She tousled his hair and said, "I wish, kiddo." She looked around the room. "Do you have everything else you need?" She asked him, hoping to delay his departure; suddenly she didn't want him to leave.

Chris looked around at the items he had gathered, "Yeah, I think I have everything." He started to pack up his meager belongings into a box that he was taking with him.

"How about something to eat, do you need something to eat?" Piper persisted.

Chris gave an exasperated sigh, looked up to her and said, "Mom, I'm fine. I need to go soon. We aren't sure if the timing needs to be the same but I want to make sure no one is in the attic."

Piper sighed and said, "Or P3, I know."

Chris finished his packing and looked up to Piper. She handed over the notes that she had written. Chris gave her a look as he took the papers and she raised her hand in defeat saying, "Don't worry, you won't see one word about your parentage, although, I really think it would be a good if you told them." She said. As he continued to stare at her she said, "I'm just saying…"

He smiled at that and said, "I know, but it isn't going to happen." Piper nodded and stood to hide the tears that were starting to build. She reached for him and pulled him up into a hug and said, "Be safe, ok. Let them help you. This time they will trust you. I love you."

And Chris said for the first time, "I love you too, Mom."

Piper held the hug for a moment longer than necessary before letting go.

Chris picked up his box of belongings plus the letters Piper gave him, held it under one arm and put his other hand on Piper's shoulder then orbed them to the backyard. He looked at the manor, noting how quiet everything was and crossed his fingers that Wyatt wasn't home. He knew Grandpa was over at Uncle Henry's house to watch the kids for the evening. That was part of the reason tonight was so perfect. He pointed out the line of sand surrounding the house.

Piper took a piece of paper to read from it as she reached out and parted the line of sand:

With this spell I brush aside

So magic can no longer hide

After that said Chris placed his hand on her shoulder and orbed them into the attic. He set the box down and working as a team they drew the triquetra on the attic wall. Chris said, "Take care of yourself, I don't know what Wyatt will do if he sees you here."

Piper set the chalk down and said, "Don't worry, I can take care of myself. You worry about you." She gave him a watery smile.

He opened the paper that held the spell to take him to the past and said:

Hear these words, Hear the rhyme

Heed the Hope within my mind

Send me back to where I'll find

What I wish in place and time.

With that the triquetra glowed and he picked up the box and walked towards it only turning once to see his mother as he crossed.

Piper watched until he vanished and the glow disappeared before she allowed the tears to fall. She again wondered if she was doing the right thing, sending him alone. Maybe she should have gone with him. Maybe she should contact Leo. Maybe she should just leave before anyone notices that she had been here.

**TBC**


	15. Into the Past

**Chapter 15**

**Into the** **Past**

Chris walked through the porthole entering the attic of the past. He gave one glance around to make a mental note of the current layout before orbing to P3. He sensed inside but no one was there. He set his small box of clothes and potions on the futon. If everything went according to plan he had one day to rest up before the vanquishing of the Trisor demon was to take place. He didn't want to rest but his mom had insisted. If he was being honest with himself it was really nice to hear that she cared. He didn't want to admit how hard it was not having her growing up. Sure Grandpa was great, always there to listen and be there for him. If he had to admit to having a father figure, well, he would have to say that Wyatt was the one to fill those shoes. But not having a mom, now that was hard. The aunts tried but they had their own families.

Chris sat down on the makeshift bed and thought how different everything would be if his mom hadn't left. She said that Wyatt still became evil but he wondered how it would have been growing up with a brother that acted like a brother not like a father to him. He snorted; he seriously doubted that Wyatt would have let a little thing like having a mother in their lives change his ways of bossing Chris around. Chris gave himself a brief moment to wonder what it would have been like if Leo had stayed too. He would have had a real family. He quickly pushed those thoughts away. No, his 'Dad' was never going to be there for him! He proved that in apparently two different timelines! He ignored the little voice that questioned why he was able to forgive his mother so easily but harbored such anger towards his father. No need to dwell. Really, he did have bigger things to worry about.

'Well, part one of the big plan was accomplished', Chris thought as he glanced around the tiny room. He made it to the past undetected. Chris took a deep breath and decided he needed to do the second part of his plan. He hadn't discussed this part with Piper, knowing she wouldn't approve. He had the spell ready. He needed to appear older to the charmed ones. He wasn't sure how he got them to listen to him when he was twenty but he knew there was no way they would listen to a fourteen year old. Chris stood and said:

Let my family see what needs to be seen

Make me appear older than a teen.

Chris watched the white lights floated around his face for a moment and then disappear. He frowned, he didn't feel any different. He walked over to a mirror and couldn't believe what he saw. The face staring back at him could easily pass for twenty. He scrunched his eyes as he took in his appearance, maybe he could even pass for twenty two. That was how old he was when he 'died' in the past, he reasoned. Doesn't fate kinda owe him one? Okay, maybe that was pushing it but if they asked he was going to say he was in his twenties. The story the other Chris gave them was that he was from the future, 'but only twenty years or so,' he could live with that. He placed his belongings on the floor under a desk and laid down on the bed. He began to go over the plan again in his head. He didn't get very far before sleep overtook him.

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Chris awoke to the noise the cleaning crew was making. He straightened the bed making sure it appeared as if no one had been there, glanced around the room and orbed out before he could be caught. He orbed to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge and sat down his mind going over the necessary plans. He was certain his glamour would hold until a spell reversed it, now all he had to do was wait until this evening to do the vanquish.

As he looked at the beautiful sight he remembered the first time he was up here. Wyatt had brought him. Speaking of Wyatt, he didn't feel him. He couldn't sense his brother at all. He thought about that and wondered if time travel had affected the bond before he remembered that he hadn't said the reversal spell for blocking the bond. He decided not to reverse it until after he met up with the past Charmed ones. It wouldn't help his case at all if little Wyatt sensed him and orbed to him!

He was becoming slightly nervous at the thought of seeing his family and knowing they wouldn't know who he was. He leaned against a column and pulled out the future version of his mother's diary. He had both but he wanted to see what the world had become; the world that led him to return before. He was shocked to see that Wyatt had begun to visit the underworld so young; it looks like he was only about five when that started. He pulled out the current version of the diary and checked to see if his Piper had seen those things too. He was startled to realize that she had in fact seen the little visits. He paused and looked out over the ocean while he wondered why he hadn't seen it. He was there; he should have noticed that Wyatt was out doing things without him.

He stared unseeingly into the vast waters around him; his mind on his own past. Maybe he had noticed. Wyatt started 'working' well before he was old enough to get a job. Chris never questioned it; why would he? His big brother said he was working so he was. It had never occurred to Chris that Wyatt was lying to him. He shook his head thinking about the trouble he got into when Wyatt found out that Chris had lied. Apparently Wyatt had been a do what I say not what I do kind of parent. Wyatt… He was going to be a baby here and now. He smiled as he tried to picture his 'big' brother as a toddler. He wondered how that was going to affect their bond. He wasn't lying to his mom when he told her that he knew how to use it. It had been very strong when they were little. They hardly needed to discuss things, already knowing how the other was feeling. No wonder he didn't get away with much growing up, he mused.

Chris shook his head and leafed back through the diary. Wyatt had been going on demon hunts and had meetings with higher level demons for years. Chris idly wondered how effective he and Wyatt would have been as a team. He leaned back and purposely hit his head against the pole; he really needed to get his head in the game here. All he could think about was his time and his Wyatt. He needed to concentrate on being Chris Perry, whitelighter from the future! He could only hope his acting skills were up to par. It seems as though his past self had been a much better liar. Chris was good but hadn't been able to hone those skills growing up with Wyatt as a pseudo father; it must have been easier to manipulate others if they couldn't already sense what you were up to. Ugh, there he went again! No. He was Chris Perry, whitelighter from the future here on a mission! He would save the worthless Elders, gain the trust of his family and stop Gideon from hurting Wyatt. He would save his family. This time he would not fail! He paused and looked over the bridge and watched the passing cars.

He wondered how this all began. Somewhere there was a timeline that started all of this. Somewhere he had a normal childhood, well normal up to the point that Wyatt turned evil. He wondered what they felt triggered it back then. Was it Mom's death then? He flipped through to the back of his mother's diary to an empty page trying to see if writing it down would help. He pulled a pen out of his pocket and wrote:

1. Beginning: Piper, Leo, Wyatt, Chris. Piper and Leo marry have Wyatt and Chris, Wyatt becomes evil Chris grows up and returns to past (see 2).

2. First return (or at least the first we know about): Piper, Leo, Wyatt, Chris. Parents marry have Wyatt. A whitelighter from the future shows up and dies trying to save Wyatt. Parents name new baby after future whitelighter only later learning the whitelighter was their son and had returned. Wyatt turns evil, baby Chris grows up returns to past (see 3).

3. Second return: Piper, Leo, Wyatt, Chris. Parents marry have Wyatt. Whitelighter from the future shows up, Piper goes to future to find out if new baby is evil sees horrible future and finds out whitelighter is son, Chris. Whitelighter Chris dies, baby Chris is born. Piper never tells Leo about baby. Piper leaves. Wyatt still becomes evil. I, uh, I mean Chris returns to the past (see 4).

4. Third return: I, Christopher Perry Halliwell arrive in the past and contemplate the past and possible future.

Yeah, that sounds about right. Wow, it seems we were in some causality loop there for a while that was definitely Star Trek worthy! He wondered how many times he had actually grown up and went back to the past. I guess if you at first don't succeed, try try again. It seems that they did try to change something each time, apparently something too little to affect the outcome though. This is the first time he returned so young, the first time his mom had sent him back and most importantly the first time he came back before the Titans attacked. It wasn't the first time they knew that the elder Gideon was involved, though. He thought about that for a moment. He was going to have to tread very carefully here. If the sisters and Leo didn't trust him they would never believe him and with Gideon being Leo's mentor, well, that wouldn't help his case at all. He was going to have to watch how much he told these past versions of his family. Besides, there were future consequences to worry about.

He stared out into the vast blue sea in front of him and worried again about the letters his mom had written to Piper and Leo. Would they be enough to convince them to trust Chris? He frowned as he worried again about how much Mom could have written in them. He needed to read them before he gave them out. He knew she promised not to tell them she was his mother but she seemed so adamant and gave in so easily. Yes; he would read the letters and decide then. If he saw anything about him being a Halliwell then he just wouldn't give the letters out. He hung his head, he wondered why he felt it was so important to hide who he was, but he knew the truth. What if they didn't want him? What if they didn't even conceive him? He couldn't handle the rejection again. He already lived a lifetime without a mom being around. He didn't need to find out that saving him wasn't the only reason she left.

Chris leafed back through the original diary. He found the parts about Leo. It seemed that although Leo knew about Chris in that timeline, he still devoted most of his attention to Wyatt. The plan was to let Leo be an Elder so he could keep an eye on the other Elders. Then he would come down occasionally to check up on Wyatt to make sure that Wyatt was still good. His mom wrote about how sad that Chris was that Leo didn't pay enough attention to him. Poor kid, I guess I really do understand. At least neither he nor Wyatt had a dad. Chris set the book down as he thought the next thought. He was wrong, Chris did have a dad, it's just that his 'dad' was only three years older. There is no denying that Wyatt had always acted like he was Chris's father. Chris closed his eyes; he couldn't even remember a time when Wyatt's word wasn't law.

Suddenly Chris looked up and over the city. It just occurred to him that if faced with joining Wyatt or fighting Wyatt that he probably would have joined. If he had stayed in the future any longer Wyatt would have either stripped his powers or forced him to join. He put his head into his hands, no wonder Mom was so ok with him going back to the past. She had to know there was no way he could have defied Wyatt, not after having spent a lifetime obeying him. They didn't have a normal sibling relationship; it was much more parental than that. He reached up absently and felt at his neck. The marks had long since faded but the memory of Wyatt telekinetically choking him was still fresh in his mind. He wiped the tear that had fallen on his cheek and looked out determinedly; this time he would change everything. He would have the life he was supposed to have before that stupid Elder came and ruined everything.

He gave a sardonic smile while thinking, now if I can only make the sisters and Leo believe me. He tipped his head back to the beam behind him and stared into the endless blue sky. Piece of cake, save the innocent, stop the titans, remove the threat from Gideon, yeah, piece of cake. He shook his head and wondered if life ever got any easier, because this timeline was proving to be quite difficult.

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~

Night finally fell and Chris orbed to the roof of the house across the street from the manor. He watched and waited, he could see the sisters through the small attic window. He used all of his sensing powers to feel for the demon. He needed to time this correctly; he had to act after the demon split but before it could hurt the innocent. No pressure there, right. He saw Phoebe frantically searching through the Book and then he felt the demon enter the attic. He stood and waited a couple of beats. He orbed to the attic just as Phoebe was high kicking through the demon. The innocent had grabbed Paige's arm and was pulling her. Things seemed to go into slow motion as Paige began to fall backwards after tripping on the chair leg. Just as the demon raised its hand to strike the innocent Chris threw the vanquishing potion at it. With a loud shriek and a small explosion the Trisor demon was gone.

All eyes in the room were now trained on Chris. Paige was getting up off the floor when Piper asked, "Who are you?"

Chris paused and said, "I'm Chris. Chris Perry. I'm from the future."

Piper was still eyeing him suspiciously and said, "Friend or foe?" as she raised her hands offensively.

Chris also raised his hands though in a defensive manor as he said, "Friend, I am from about twenty years in the future. You sent me here." As he finished that statement he was so proud of himself for not only throwing in the lie regarding the timeline but also that he didn't say 'mom' at the end. This lying might not be as hard as he imagined.

Piper watched him as she walked over towards Paige, pointing at him she said, "You wait there." Chris did as he was told and watched the sisters take care of the innocent.

Phoebe asked Paige, "Are you ok?"

She was dusting off her pants and said, "Yeah, a few more seconds and that demon would have gotten us." Paige included herself in that comment although she really knew that if the demon had struck, it would have killed the other woman.

Piper spoke next, "I think we are going to be safe for a little while. What's your name?"

The innocent smiled, she had seemingly overcome her fear and said, "Evangeline. Thank you for protecting me. My parents had told me stories about the Charmed Ones, but I never thought that I would meet you myself."

Chris's mouth dropped open at that statement. He had no idea that this innocent was a witch!

Phoebe went to place her hand soothingly on Evangeline's shoulder and began to say, "Well, that is…" But she didn't finish as she was pulled into a premonition. With a quick intake of breath, Phoebe was bombarded with a vision of Evangeline being handed a newborn baby.

The person handing the baby over said, "It's a girl."

Evangeline smiled and said, "Hello my beautiful Trinity…" The baby cried out at that moment covering up the middle name that was spoken. A nurse in the room awed over the name and asked what the significance was. Evangeline smiled and said, "There were people that saved my life, three women and one man. I didn't even know I was pregnant with her at the time. The name is to honor them."

And just as suddenly, Phoebe was back. She began to speak without censoring her thoughts, "You're pregnant!"

Now all eyes were on Phoebe.

"No, I'm not." Evangeline said.

Phoebe only smiled.

Evangeline tried again, "I'm not, am I?" her hands going protectively to cover her stomach.

Phoebe's smile only grew wider and said, "Oh yes; yes you are."

Evangeline's hand went to her mouth and said, "Oh my God, that demon would have killed both of us."

Chris closed his eyes and wondered what future change this was going to bring about.

Paige was the next to speak as she said, "Well, now that that's settled, how about I get you back home?"

Evangeline shyly said, "Okay." With a nod to her sisters Paige orbed her out of the room.

Phoebe started to walk towards the door and said, "Great! Then I still have time to get ready for my date."

At that moment baby Wyatt began to cry and Piper almost forgot about the future whitelighter in the room as she rushed to her son. Before she left she pointed at him again and said, "I will be right back, you wait there."

He blew out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. 'At least she didn't try to blow me up,' he thought as he watched her leave. He heard her walking back up the stairs and realized he hadn't reversed the bond blocking spell yet. He wanted Wyatt to be able to sense him and know that they were connected when they first saw each other. Chris was betting that if Wyatt trusted Chris that Piper might not be as doubtful. He quickly mumbled the reversal spell just before Piper entered the attic.

All at once the full range of their bond hit Chris and he almost doubled over. How long had Wyatt been blocking him? He never remembered it being so strong. He could almost see himself through his brother's eyes.

Piper started to ask him, "Ok, who exactly are you?" But Wyatt had begun to orb away.

Wyatt suddenly materialized in Chris's arms. He almost wasn't able to catch him, "Whoa, now. Hi there." When Chris looked back up at Piper she had raised her hands offensively and he quickly said, "I think you should go back to Mommy now." And he handed the baby back over. He wasn't expecting that reaction!

Wyatt giggled and Piper calmed once she had him back in her arms. "Let's try this again, who are you?" Piper asked but was much softer in her question. Wyatt didn't go around orbing to people he didn't trust. Though, she still felt that she was going to have to keep an eye on this new guy.

Chris smiled a friendly grin and said, "I'm Chris Perry, I am a whitelighter from the future."

Piper nodded and said, "Yes, you said that before. You also said that I sent you?"

Darn, he forgot he mentioned that. Chris only paused for a moment before he said, "Yes. You sent me to help warn you and protect Wyatt. There is an evil that comes after him and eventually destroys the world."

Wyatt was beginning to get fussy again and Piper knew she needed to feed him, but she really wanted to continue this conversation with Chris.

Chris could feel Wyatt's frustration and he was beginning to wonder if he would start to show it himself. He needed to get out of here and think about this new development. He also needed to get his Mom's letters to give to Piper and Leo. He hadn't had the chance to read them before he walked through the porthole. He needed to make sure that they didn't give away too much information.

"Look, he's getting fussy. You go ahead and feed him. I'll be around," Chris said and he orbed out of the room and to the back office at P3.

Piper was still staring at the spot where Chris just was and asked aloud to no one, "Do they teach you that in whitelighter school?" She shook her head at the rudeness of just orbing off as she walked down the stairs to get her son something to eat.

As Piper began preparing a snack for Wyatt she heard orbs forming. She turned around fully expecting to see Chris but was pleasantly surprised to see Leo standing there. She smiled at him and said, "Hi."

Leo smiled back and looked around the room for a moment before asking, "Is everything ok? How is the innocent that Paige brought here?"

Piper continued making Wyatt's food as she answered, "The innocent, Evangeline, is good but we weren't the ones that saved her."

Leo quirked an eyebrow at her but didn't ask.

Piper continued, "Apparently, I sent us a whitelighter from the future."

Leo's mouth dropped and hung there a second before he asked, "Huh?"

Piper nodded and said, "See that is what I am saying. A kid, maybe twenty years old or so, orbed into the attic and said he is a Whitelighter from the future and that I sent him here. I talked with him for a few minutes but as Wyatt got fussy… Oh, and that! Wyatt orbed right into this guys' arms. Wyatt even giggled when Chris handed him back to me."

Leo was not sure he understood everything that was being said. I mean really, a whitelighter from the future, and that Piper had sent him? But Piper seemed to believe it so far, so he would trust her. He asked, "Chris?"

Piper nodded, "Yeah, Chris Perry he said. Do you know a Chris Perry whitelighter, dark hair, green eyes… ring any bells?"

Leo stopped and thought about it, it is possible that someone looking twenty had been a whitelighter for years but he didn't recognize the name. He shook his head, "No, I don't think so. I'm going to go check with the Elders on this one." And he orbed away.

Piper stood there slack jawed for a moment before speaking to no one again, "Yep, whitelighter school must be where they learn that!" Then she finished preparing the snack for her child.

**TBC**


	16. Letters From Piper

**Chapter 16**

**Letters from Piper**

Chris orbed into the office at P3 to read the letters; he needed to make sure it hadn't said anything in there that he didn't want revealed. He scanned the one to Piper quickly, and then took a more through look. A few paragraphs on the front and blank on the back. It looked fine. He decided to give it to Piper right away so she could begin trusting him. Maybe this really was a good idea.

Chris orbed to the manor and sensed for Piper. She was in her room so he walked up the stairs and stared at the door thinking, then again, maybe this was not such a good idea after all. They hadn't actually invited him back, but… He raised his hand quickly and knocked before he lost his nerve again.

Piper called from inside, "Come in."

Chris turned the door handle and opened the door but didn't enter the room. "I'm sorry to bother you, but," Chris paused and held out the letter. "You told me to give this to you when I got here."

Piper walked over to Chris and took the paper from him, "Thank you." She said but it was more of a question than a statement.

Chris shrugged his shoulders and orbed away to give her some privacy.

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When Chris orbed away from Piper he sensed for Leo, rolling his eyes as he realized that the man was up in Elderland, as usual. He tried to push away the thought. This man wasn't the same nonexistent father he had in the future. Besides, his Leo never even knew he had a second son. It wasn't like Chris was left out on purpose. Well, at least not by Leo. He huffed out a breath and opened the letter from Piper. He trusted his mother and so far his trust had been rewarded. There was nothing in the letter to Piper about his being her son. He looked through the letter to Leo and was surprised that it didn't contain anything to convince him like Piper's letter did. Oh well, just so long as it doesn't say son, Chris was good.

He sensed again for Leo and sent up a silent prayer that the man was by himself 'up there' and orbed to him. Luck, for once, was on his side because when he materialized he saw that Leo was alone. Leo gave him a startled look but said nothing. 'Hmm, being thought of as a whitelighter has its perks' he silently mused. He walked up to Leo and handed him the letter saying, "Hi, I'm Chris Perry, the Piper from my future wanted you to have this."

Leo took the letter and looked at him with questioning eyes. Chris, having had enough with being generous to the man, just orbed away.

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**Piper's Letter**

Piper went back to her bed and sat down. She opened the letter and began to read:

_Piper, I am writing this to you to explain about Chris Perry. I know it will take more than a letter in your own handwriting to believe that this is from you in the future. The only way to prove who I am is to tell you something only you would know. I have given it a lot of thought and there is something you never told anyone. You have a letter from your mother in the bottom of your jewelry box. It is in her handwriting and says: To my middle Child, Piper, I have always loved you best…_

_There's more in it but I know you never told anyone else about it. In a few months you are going to be making a special baby book. You will come across_ _three beautiful poems and realize something about that letter from your mom. See, it is part of a trilogy: To my oldest, To my middle and To my baby. Soon after this you find out that Phoebe has this letter too, only she has the: To my baby, Phoebe, I have always loved you best... Sad to say that Mom was only copying a poem, the good news is that they all started with that line._

Anyway, if I have your belief now that I am really you, writing this from the future then you must believe this. Trust him. Trust this whitelighter from the future. All of this will make sense in time but he is Wyatt's only hope.

~Piper

Piper paused and looked up. She did have that letter in her jewelry box and she never told anyone about it. She didn't want to hurt Phoebe's feelings by knowing that their mother loved Piper 'best'. Piper smiled at the thought that their mother had written a portion of the poem for each of her three children. Piper's smile dropped. She wondered if Paige had a similar letter. Somehow she doubted it. The poem series held only three writings and Phoebe had the one to the baby.

Piper's mind went back to the letter in her hand. It did sound like her in the future. She would have never told anyone about that letter, now especially thinking about Paige not having one. Should she trust this? It could be a trick. But how would they know about the poems. She didn't let her mind dwell on the special baby book the letter wrote about. Obviously the baby book was for Wyatt. She nodded her head and decided that she would believe that this letter was from her in the future. If she believed that then she would try her best to trust this Chris character.

Piper looked back down at the letter and saw some words forming under her signature. She began to read the newly formed words.

_I hope that you have decided to trust me so far because this next bit is going to throw you for a loop. I put a spell on these words so Chris couldn't see them. He didn't want you to know, but you have to or you will do things you regret. It is harder than I thought it would be to write this. See, this has all happened before and will happen again if we don't stop it this time. There is a really good reason why it is Chris that keeps coming back from the future to right this wrong. Watch that whitelighter from the future and maybe you will see what I missed; his dark wavy hair, his expressive green eyes and more importantly his stubbornness. If you keep your heart open you will know, Chris is your son; Wyatt's little brother._

Piper gasped at that revelation, they didn't think they could even conceive Wyatt but to think he might have another sibling was unbelievable. Besides she wasn't even pregnant! She continued on with the letter.

_I know, I know, you aren't even pregnant, but you will be. There is so much you need to know and not enough room on this paper to prove anything. I have more written in a diary that Chris isn't going to want to show you because it talks about who he really is. Follow your heart. I followed my head and regret every minute of it. Oh, and a little forewarning, Christopher Perry Halliwell was conceived on Wyatt's second birthday._

_Everything written after I sign my name_

_Will prove that nothing will be the same_

_Believe what follows, no more lies_

_Let this be seen only by Chris's mother's eyes._

Oh my God. If this was true then Chris was her son! No, this part was a trick. He was thinking she wouldn't show anyone else. Once someone else could read the bottom part of the page then it would prove it all a lie.

She folded the letter and walked to Phoebe's room. She stopped at the door and watched Phoebe picking an outfit to wear.

She knocked quietly, when Phoebe looked up Piper said, "I need you to answer something for me."

Phoebe said, "Ok, shoot."

Piper walked closer and said, "I need to you be honest with me. I don't want you to hide anything to save my feelings, ok? This is really important."

Phoebe put her hand on Piper's shoulder and said, "I promise, sweetie, what is it?"

Piper drew a deep breath and asked her sister, "Do you have a letter from Mom telling you she loves you best?"

Phoebe blushed and backed up. How would Piper know that? Should she tell her? She paused before answering. She had promised her sister the truth. Phoebe went to her jewelry box and pulled the note out of the bottom drawer and handed it over. The paper said, "To my baby, Phoebe, I have always loved you best…"

Piper nearly dropped the note. She looked up to her sister. Phoebe was worried, had she hurt Piper? Piper had asked, so that means she must have known, right? Piper handed over the letter from Chris.

Phoebe quickly read the three paragraphs she could see and said, "Is it true?"

Piper was thinking, 'I KNEW IT!' but Phoebe began speaking, "Do you have the same letter?"

Piper paused, 'huh?' she thought and then realized what Phoebe was asking. "Yes. I do."

Phoebe spoke again, "Do you really think this letter is from you? I mean, it sounds like you and that looks like your signature."

Piper was thinking, 'what about the rest? Don't you see the rest?'

Phoebe looked from the note to Piper again and said, "Piper?"

Piper quickly said, "I'm going to trust him. I know there is more and he will share it when he is able. Go ahead; get ready for your date. I'm going to call Chris to talk with him and see if we can figure this out."

Phoebe nodded; her thoughts already back to planning her date. If Piper trusted Chris then she was going to trust him. Enough said. Piper took the note and headed back to her room.

When Piper reached her room she closed her door. She was still holding the note when she called, "Chris…"

Moments later Chris appeared in a swirl of blue and white orbs. Piper hesitated for one second. She really should have thought this through but she was the big sister, the oldest Charmed One and she was going to do what she felt was right. Piper steadied herself and looked into Chris's eyes. What she saw shocked her. She saw Leo's eyes staring back at her.

Piper abruptly said, "I want to see the diary."

Chris was taken aback. He hadn't expected that. More questions, yes but to ask about the diary? He quickly recovered and grabbed the note from Piper's hand saying, "She didn't say anything about the diary." He paused looking over the letter again.

Piper knew that the boy had no idea about the extra information stored in the letter. It was then that she was sure, "Christopher Halliwell, I want that diary now!"

Chris looked back up and said, "I don't know what diary you are… wait, WHAT?" He took two steps back as he realized what she said. He looked back at the note again, nothing! It said nothing about him being a Halliwell! How could she know?

He looked back at her with questioning eyes and Piper said, "I am a powerful witch, you think I don't know a spell to sneak myself a message?"

Chris was finally coherent enough to say, "Piper…"

Piper fixed him with a stare as she said, "Surely I would have raised you better than to call me by my first name."

Chris looked down; this wasn't how this was supposed to be going.

Piper was still staring at him but now she was concerned, "What?" she asked.

Chris mentally shrugged his shoulders, 'in for a penny, in for a pound' he thought as he said, "You didn't raise me. You left us with Grandpa…"

Piper thought she hadn't heard him right. Those words made no sense. If she was alive then she was a mother first, everything else second, the only thing she could say was, "What?"

Chris cringed at the force of her one word, "Maybe we should sit down." He said.

Piper wasn't having it, "No, you tell me why I didn't raise my own son! Am I dead?"

Chris blinked, "No, you just…" He didn't know how to explain.

Piper had an expectant expression, "Well?"

Chris tried again, "Piper," but at the glare he stopped and said, "Maybe it would be better for you to see the diary. I am sure that you can explain it better to yourself than I can." And with that he orbed out of the room.

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**Leo's Letter**

Leo watched Chris leave then looked down at the letter, opened it up and read:

_Leo, I hope you trust your Piper enough to believe that this is me from the future. If you believe her then believe this, you need to help Chris talk to the Elders. The Titans are about to return and they will decimate Elderland. There is so much more at stake than this but this is the first step. Everything will make_ _more sense in time. Believe me. Trust Chris._

_Love, Piper_

Leo didn't know what to think. He looked up and around him. He knew how he felt about Piper. If his Piper trusted the boy and said that letter was her from the future then he trusted his wife. He just needed to verify with her. He nodded his head. With the decision made he glanced back down at the letter and saw words forming. He began to read the familiar handwriting.

_You are the only one that will be able to read this part, Leo. Together we have done great things and we are destined to do even more. I need you to know something, something so important that I wrote a spell just to get the news to you. Wyatt is not your only son, we have another baby. He doesn't want you to know because he is scared. We messed up so much with him and Wyatt. We need to fix this. Look with your heart at that whitelighter from the future and you will see he has my hair, your eyes and the Halliwell stubbornness (to say nothing of the Halliwell attitude). His name isn't just Chris Perry, it is Christopher Perry Halliwell. I can't understand how we missed it but you can make it up to him for all of us. Love him, be there for him, and above all, help him. The future I have seen is dark, horrible and being run by the source of all evil himself. We will fix it this time, Chris is the key. I will always love you,_

_Everything written after I sign my name_

_Will prove that nothing will be the same_

_Believe what follows, no more lies_

_Let this be seen only by Chris's father's eyes._

Leo almost dropped the letter. He re-read the bottom portion, they had another child? He was going to have another son! His smile went from ear to ear, he orbed to Piper sensing to see if she was alone. When he was certain she was he orbed in and said, "Is it true?"

Piper smiled and nodded her head.

He rushed to her and grabbed her swinging her around in the air whispering, "Another baby!"

When he set her down she replied, "And one so powerful he came back in time to save his family."

Leo nodded solemnly, "We need to get him and make plans to talk with the Elders." He broke off again and said absently, "a baby… Oh, God, do you know when?"

Again she smiled and said, "I told myself it was on Wyatt's second birthday."

He looked at her again and asked, "Does he know we know?"

She laughed lightly and said, "He knows I do. I set him straight on that from the get go. Apparently I had it in my head somewhere that these boys would be better off without us. I can guarantee you that that isn't going to happen again!"

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Chris sensed for his mother in her room and realized she was not alone. He searched with his whitelighter powers and discovered that Leo was in the room with her. He hung his head; she was going to tell him! They hadn't even had the chance to discuss how no one else should know. Oh this was soooo not going according to plan!

He orbed back to the office in P3 and paced the small area. What was he going to do now? One thing for sure was he wasn't going to head over there and face them!

Suddenly he heard his mom's voice inside his head yelling, "Sometime today, Chris."

He rolled his eyes; great. He guessed he was going to face them after all. He took in a deep breath and orbed back to the manor. He materialized in the living room and was quickly joined by Piper and a very excited Leo.

Leo walked right up to him and put a hand on each bicep and looked at him very intently before suddenly pulling him into a big bear hug.

Chris stood there, really this was only the second time he had ever met the man.

Leo didn't let go and Chris thought he heard him whisper, "My son." But Chris dismissed it, no way was he excited about a stranger claiming to be his kid from the future. He read those diaries, Leo never cared about him. I mean sure, in his time Leo didn't even know about him but… He couldn't help that his arms started to rise to hug Leo back. He didn't want to start caring about Leo but instinct was kicking in. He had always wanted to know his dad.

Leo finally let go and backed up his smile was ear to ear. He said, "Well, I guess that will explain why no one has heard of a Chris Perry the whitelighter."

Chris blushed and looked down. "Well, it worked before."

Piper was the first to speak, "Before? Before what?" Piper began to think about what her note had said, something about Chris coming back each time. "Wait, this happened before, didn't it?"

Chris realized his mistake and looked back up ready to deny the claim when he realized there was no point. They already knew about him being their son. Obviously Mom was right; they would trust him knowing he was family. Instead he said, "This is going to take some time, maybe we should wait until the whole family is here?" Chris crossed his fingers hoping that that was going to work. He really didn't want to get into all of this tonight.

Piper looked at him for a long moment before saying, "Fine, we can wait until tomorrow when your aunts are here. It will probably be easier to explain all this at once."

Chris let out a breath of relief.

Piper continued, "But two things first. I want the diary and I want you to get some sleep."

Chris wanted to argue but thought better of it, he really was tired. He pulled the two diaries out of his jacket pocket and said, "Fine, here are the diaries."

Piper said, "Thank you. I'll show you to your room."

Chris was shaking his head no, "Uh, no thanks, I am going to, uh, stay at P3. That is where I stay, all the entries say so."

Piper wasn't having it, "No, my son is not sleeping in an office at the back of a club."

As Chris went to protest again Leo laid his hand on his shoulder gently and said, "I would just listen to your mother, Chris. She is going to get her way anyway."

Chris looked at Leo, then back to Piper and lowered his shoulders and said, "Okay, where am I sleeping."

Piper smiled and said, "I knew you would see it my way." As if Chris hadn't argued about it at all. "Right this way."

As she stopped at the nursery she said, "Don't worry, I am moving Wyatt in with me. This will be your room."

Chris tried but failed to suppress a chuckle. At their questioning looks he said, "This is my room in my time too."

Piper smiled and picked up a sleeping Wyatt. She had Leo orb the crib to their room and she got a second blanket for Chris. There was already a daybed all set up in the room.

It took all Pipers' strength not to stick around and tuck Chris in bed; instead she paused at the door and said, "Goodnight Chris. I will see you in the morning."

Chris was sitting on the bed and glanced up to her and said, "Goodnight Mom." Then blushed as he realized what he said.

Piper didn't flinch; she just nodded and walked out of the room. They had tons to talk about and although she really wanted to discuss it all tonight she knew she needed to wait until her sisters were there. She also knew she needed to talk with them first so she could explain what was going on. She walked back to Leo and wrapped herself in his arms and stood their hugging him. They had another son. Sure, something bad had happened in the future but she was sure she would be able to fix it. With her family by her side there was nothing they couldn't accomplish.

**TBC**


	17. The Diaries

**_A/N: This chapter has some pure unadulterated fluff. I am not apologizing for it; just letting you know it is there I never liked how Piper just gave up on her marriage. I always felt it was out of character, so I threw in a little reference to their vows. There will also be a bit of questioning on how Piper could leave her boys, a move that would be totally out of character. This points out that fact and how she really thought she was doing the right thing. Enough of me, on with the story…_**

**Chapter 17**

**The Diaries**

Piper and Leo sat on the couch each one had a diary in their hands. Piper had opted to take the diary from Chris's time. She had to understand why she left her babies. She just couldn't comprehend how her future self thought that leaving her two sons would do anything but harm. The diary started out the day she came back from the future with the other diary. Piper giggled at the way the whitelighter Chris was forced to say who he was. It was definitely like her to do something like that. She didn't think she would ever take kindly to liars.

Piper paused at the part where her future self decided not to tell Leo about his son. She never mentioned Chris to her husband at all. How could she do that to Leo or Chris? She looked over at her husband and tears filled her eyes. What had happened that was so bad she felt hiding the truth about their second child would be a better plan than telling him.

Leo felt the gaze from Piper, "What?" he asked softly.

Piper raised her hand and carded her fingers through Leo's hair saying, "I don't know how I ever let you go."

Leo smiled at her and took her hand into his and said, "You will never have to know. I am never going to leave you. You, Wyatt," he paused and then said, "And Chris are my life. I cannot live without you. I will not live without any of you. Whatever their choices were, they won't be ours." He held her hand tightly and raised it to his heart. "I promised to love you for forever, Piper. I cannot imagine what would have made us lose sight of that. But I am telling you, right now, that is not going to be our future."

Piper leaned forward allowing the tears to fall freely as she kissed Leo. She put her arms around him and held him tight. She whispered to him, "I was born to love you and I always will." They both leaned away from the embrace and looked each other in the eye.

Leo raised his hand to her cheek and said, "We are in this together. I won't let anyone, not even you, push me away."

Piper leaned into his hand and said, "You better not. Don't even let me try. I love you and you are right, we will figure this out the way we always have, as a family." The two smiled at each other for a long moment before the opening of the front door startled them out of their own little world.

Phoebe entered the living room and began talking, "Oh, hey you two. I didn't expect to see you guys." She didn't stop as she removed her coat, "You wouldn't believe what a waste of time that date was, apparently there was some kind of emergency…" Phoebe paused her tirade. Something was going on and now that she was paying attention it was obvious that it was important. "Piper…" She began when the sound of orbs filled the room.

Paige appeared at the foot of the stairs and looked at Phoebe and then turned to look at Leo and Piper. Her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion and she asked, "Okay, what am I missing here?"

Piper was the first to speak, "This is important, why don't you both come over here and sit down. Leo and I have some very interesting news."

Phoebe and Paige exchanged glances and then did as their sister had asked of them. Once everyone was seated it was Piper again that began, "So, do you remember that whitelighter from the future?"

Paige shot a glance to Phoebe, wondering where this was going. Not getting a response Paige said, "Yeah, he saved Evangeline."

Phoebe asked, "Does this have something to do with the letter he gave you; because if you trust him then I trust him."

Paige stared at her siblings in turn. She hadn't heard of any letter, "Wait, what letter?"

Piper wasn't ready to share the note with Paige. She didn't want to hurt her baby sister's feelings with the way she was able to convince herself that it was really her. Piper said, "The whitelighter, Chris, gave Leo and I each a letter from me written in the future."

Paige wasn't ready to buy the information but if Piper was sure then she was going to trust her big sister. "Okay…" Paige said trailing off as to encourage Piper to continue.

Piper didn't disappoint. "There is more," Piper said as she looked to Leo. "First, I know this is true, I am as sure of it as I am of anything." She paused again and looked to Leo.

Leo took her hand in his, drew in a deep breath and said, "That whitelighter from the future…" he paused. Then he looked each sister in the eye so they knew he was serious and said, "Is our son, mine and Pipers. Wyatt's little brother."

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife before Phoebe started to bounce, "Really? We have another nephew?" She hopped to her feet and lunged at Piper dragging her into a hug. Pipers arms readily went around her sister and a big smile crossed her features. Piper was afraid they wouldn't be supportive, she should have known better.

Paige was a little more reserved but her eyes were twinkling when she asked, "Are you sure? I mean, are you certain it isn't some kind of trick?" They had seen so much, she didn't want to get pulled into a trap.

Piper looked her in the eye and said, "I am positive and you will be too. There is so much more, but we really need to wait until Chris is up to tell us everything. He understands this so much better than we do and really it is a lot to take in. I just wanted you two to know about him being our son." Piper paused and looked at Leo before saying, "He wasn't going to tell us. Apparently this has all happened before and if we don't fix it, it will happen again." She had tears in her eyes as she finished the sentence.

Leo squeezed her hand and said, "We'll fix it this time." He looked around the room at his sisters-in-law and said, "We really should wait to hear it from Chris."

Leo was interrupted by crying coming through the baby monitor. Piper gave her husband an understanding smile as she stood to go to get Wyatt. They had placed a baby monitor in the room just in case Wyatt woke up they could get to him quickly. Before Piper could take a step towards the stairs they heard another voice on the monitor.

"Hey, Wy, did you wake up?" came the soft voice of their newfound son, Chris. They heard the rustling of sheets and assumed that Chris was picking the little boy up.

Piper stared at her family, unsure of what to do. Should she go and get Wyatt? As she stood they heard more, "It's ok buddy, you're fine. Mommy's downstairs. Why don't we just sit here and talk for a few minutes and then we can go back to sleep, huh?"

Piper sat back down on the sofa and stared at the monitor. She knew she should turn it off and not eavesdrop on her children but she just wasn't able to make herself. Her sisters and husband sat with baited breath themselves waiting for more information from their newest visitor. They weren't disappointed.

"So I guess I get to return the favor now. It only makes sense that since you were the one to raise me that the least I could do is come to comfort you." They heard the soft swaying of the rocking chair swishing back and forth.

Piper turned to look at her family, what did the boy mean Wyatt raised him? She had read that she left them with her dad! Her sisters and Leo seemed to share her concern as they all stared back at the monitor.

Chris was upstairs with Wyatt. Chris had sensed his distress before the toddler cried out. Now he was sitting in the rocking chair just talking to the one year old like it was the most natural thing in the world. It had been a long time since he could really talk to someone; actually he never discussed this with anyone. He petted the little boy's hair as he continued, "I don't know how exactly this all happened. In a little over a year from now I am going to be born. It's hard to believe that you were ever this young; for as long as I can remember you have always been more of a dad then a big brother."

Chris paused and looked up towards the door. He had no intention upon explaining to his parents the way he was raised. It seems they were still busy downstairs. He thought he would spend a few more minutes with his big brother. "I guess if Mom and Leo had stayed together then we would have had a normal sibling relationship. I wonder what that would have been like? Maybe we will find out, maybe this time when we fix everything so you and mini me will get a real family." He glanced up towards the door again. He wasn't sure why he kept checking. He could sense that his family was downstairs. He just had the feeling that he was being listened to. He kissed Wyatt on the head and took the now sleeping toddler back to his bed. He whispered, "Goodnight Big Brother." And he slipped back into his room and laid back down.

Downstairs the family was just sitting staring at each other. Piper pushed her emotions to the side for the moment. She needed to really think over what had just been said. She looked to each sister and then to her husband before saying, "And on that note, I think we should all go get some sleep. We need to hear the rest of this story." She looked up towards the stairs before saying quietly, "But I really don't think he ever meant for us to know that part. Let's follow his lead tomorrow. Maybe all of this will make more sense once we get some rest."

The group began to disperse, all of them thinking along the same lines. What had happened in this future and how were they going to stop it. Paige pulled Piper back and gave her a quick hug saying, "Congratulations, Mommy." They both giggled as they headed towards the stairs.

Piper and Leo detoured from path that would take them to their own room and walked to where Chris was. Piper slowly opened the door and walked into the room. She leaned down and kissed her son on the forehead. When she stepped back she watched as Leo pulled the covers up higher on to Chris's shoulders before laying his hand there just for a second longer. The two looked at each other for a moment before leaving the room.

Chris smiled as he felt the light kiss and strong hand on his shoulder. Maybe this was going to work out after all. He snuggled back down into his covers feeling really glad his mom in the future had spilled his little secret. She was right. It was going to be easier with them knowing he was their son.

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

Piper checked on the sleeping Wyatt and covered him up again. She quietly walked over, shut the door, then went to the baby monitor and turned that off too. She got into bed with Leo and stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning on her side, propped her head on her hand and looked at Leo.

Leo was already waiting for her. He was still upset about what he heard. He thought he would bring up the little fact he caught before she could start with what was bothering her. "Did you notice he called you Mom but called me Leo?"

Piper paused and quickly rewound the conversation in her head. She hadn't caught that. She wasn't surprised that Leo did though. It had to be hard on him. He was such a great dad with Wyatt and now to find out he just leaves his children. Well, one he never even knew about. All she could say was, "I'm sorry. This is my fault."

Leo took his wife's free hand and said, "No. None of this is about blame anymore. They did it, not us. We aren't going to make those mistakes."

Piper gave his hand a squeeze and said, "You're right. I need to stop thinking about it like that. It's just…"

Leo gave her and understanding gaze, "I know… It's just hard."

Piper pushed herself up higher and said, "But did you hear him? He said Wyatt was the one that raised him."

Leo copied the movement and tried to fight the shame at hearing that Wyatt was a better dad than he was as he said, "Yeah."

She was sitting upright now as she thought out loud, "Think about it though. How could a kid that was less than three years older raise his sibling?"

Leo thought for a moment and said, "Maybe there are more years between them?"

She shook her head saying, "No, he said in a little more than a year. Besides, we know he gets conceived on Wyatt's second birthday." She broke off and blushed a little.

Leo reached up and brushed her cheek. This was such an odd conversation. Who would have thought they would ever meet their unborn child after he had already grown up. He looked down with shame again. After he grew up without you, that is.

He was still thinking when Piper said, "But really think about it. How did that happen? I know that Prue tried to boss me and Phoebe around but it didn't work. I know I told her on more than one occasion that she wasn't my mother and that I didn't have to listen to her."

"Yeah," Leo said, "But Grams was there."

Piper continued, undeterred, "But you see, so was Dad, my dad was there with them. I was thinking, for him to listen to Wyatt as a father figure, Wyatt must have always been a father figure. That must be the reason; he must have been acting as a dad his entire life. I bet when they were little that the family thought it was cute. Somewhere it went from cute to very paternal. But why…"

Leo looked up at her suddenly as the thought struck him, "How did big Chris die?" He had a feeling he was on to something here. "The big Chris when this Chris was about to be born."

Piper got up and retrieved the most recent diary and flipped to that part. It didn't go into great detail but, "Well, it says that I went into labor and Wyatt orbed to Chris. Gideon killed Chris… Oh God, Leo, Wyatt watched that."

Leo's stomach turned at the thought of his friend and mentor being able to kill a child, his child. His thoughts immediately went to Wyatt as Piper cried out her last sentence. "And he wasn't able to save him. Piper, I think that Wyatt has been trying to protect Chris since before Chris was even born. The other diary said that Wyatt didn't think he was evil, just that he wanted power, power to protect his family. I think Wyatt has been acting out his planned protection much earlier than anyone else saw."

Piper was following him and said, "Somewhere back when all this started, Wyatt wasn't able to protect someone he loved. This trigger was just the last straw. It never needed to be me that died. It just had to be something to show Wyatt that he couldn't protect his family." Piper blinked away some tears. She gave up her boys in the future for nothing. How could she be so wrong? She could tell by the diary that future Piper felt it was the only way. That Piper honestly thought that if she left, she could change Wyatt's fate. How could she have been so arrogant; thinking that the world revolved around her? She really hated herself at that moment. She was broken from her thoughts when Leo added his.

"I think you are right. I think this time we need to make sure that we prove to Wyatt that we can protect this family. It isn't his job, at least not yet." Leo smiled with that.

Piper smiled back. Leo was right, now they had to decide, as a family, what course of action to take. She mentally shook her head again, that was the problem with future Piper. Piper voiced her feelings, "I think I see why Piper left. I get that she thought it was the only way. The thing I don't understand is why she felt it was necessary to do everything on her own."

Leo took the diary that Piper had brought over and flipped to the front. He read and skimmed a bit before saying, "I think I know why."

Piper looked at him questioningly.

Leo smiled, "Do you remember when you were pregnant with Wyatt and your powers were all over the place?"

Piper chuckled, "Yeah, that little terror was expressing his powers even in the womb." She paused in thought and then said, "Remember when he switched us and you were pregnant for a little bit of time." They both laughed at the memory.

Leo then said, "This is what I was talking about. With Wyatt being so powerful you felt his magic. Now seeing Chris and reading a bit about his personality." He paused as he thought about the diary he read. "Did you know," he began, "That in that first diary they never even knew who Chris was." He paused as he tried to force out the painful words, "He died trying to save Wyatt and they never knew he was their son."

Piper looked angry; she hadn't read that diary, "What do you mean they never found out? They named the baby Chris! Why would they do that?"

Leo looked down with unshed tears in his eyes, "To honor the whitelighter. They named the baby Christopher Perry Halliwell. It wasn't until later that they even realized that he was growing up to become that same whitelighter from the future. How stupid could they be? Who else would come across time to save a dictator instead of just getting rid of him?" He sadly shook his head, "Of course he was family."

Piper had tears in her own eyes. How long would they have treated Chris as an outsider if they hadn't been told? Piper blinked back the tears again, "We will change that! He won't be Christopher Perry anymore." A tear leaked down her face, "He won't be Christopher Perry ever again."

Leo took her hand and squeezed it before saying, "That is what I am saying. That baby WAS Christopher Perry. Even in the womb that Piper felt the strength of his character, his single minded determination to save the world by saving his big brother. He was so determined that he had to do this all on his own that he died without us by his side." Leo felt even stronger about what he said as he said the next words, "I am betting that that Piper felt the same way. She acted as if she was the only one that could make a difference. We both know you would do anything for Wyatt. Now we know that it means loving him enough to leave. And that you feel the love for Chris."

Piper was shaking her head, "But she was wrong! Besides, even if you are right, she left them after he was born."

Leo only smiled sadly, "You had already made up your mind. Your innate stubbornness had already kicked in."

Piper processed what he was saying. He was right; once she made up her mind it was pretty hard to convince her otherwise. She drew in a deep breath and laid back down on the bed. Leo followed suit and they were both laying on their sides facing the other again.

Piper said quietly, "Well, not this time."

Leo smiled and leaned forward chastely kissing her on the lips before saying, "No, not this time."

Piper rolled over and Leo spooned up behind her, holding her in a loving embrace before they both fell to sleep.

**TBC**

_**A/N: This story is revolving around some key elements. One of those is how overprotective Wyatt is towards Chris. Although big Wyatt might not remember why, he still knows he has to do everything within his power to protect the people he loves or he will watch them die. Quite a burden for a little boy…**_


	18. The Discussion

**Chapter 18**

**The Discussion**

Chris rolled over and slowly opened his eyes only to find himself staring into the eyes of his little big brother. He shot upright, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. "Hey there, Wy, what are you doing up?" He asked the toddler.

Wyatt looked at him for a long moment then repeated, "Wy…"

Chris smiled and pointed to him saying, "Yes, that's right, you're Wy, I'm Chris." Pointing to himself in turn.

Wyatt pointed back to him and said, "Cwiss."

"You are really a smart little guy aren't you?" Chris said as he got up and began to pick up baby Wyatt. He wondered how much his little big brother understood from their bond. He knew that he could feel a full range of emotions from his brother. It must have been confusing for the little guy to suddenly feel all that from a stranger. Hell, it was strange for Chris to feel so much at once. "I think someone is getting hungry. How about we go and make some breakfast?"

Wyatt just smiled and allowed Chris to pick him up and take him down the stairs toward the kitchen. Chris set him down in the highchair and began pulling out the ingredients to make blueberry pancakes, which just happened to be both of their favorite of breakfast foods.

Chris continued to talk to Wyatt as he worked in the kitchen, "You want some pancakes? Hmmm? How about blueberry pancakes?" Wyatt just babbled back to him as Chris strode around the kitchen as if he had been working in it for years. In fact he had, just years in their now future.

Piper woke up hearing voices from downstairs. She quickly got dressed and quietly went towards the kitchen and watched in wonder as her fully grown, previously unknown son worked in the kitchen. It was amazing to witness his ease at cooking. It was something Paige and Phoebe had never mastered. Sure they could cook if it was really required of them but this, this was beautiful. Ok, maybe she was feeling a little biased, he was her son after all. She stood there watching until she felt hands upon her shoulders. She looked up and saw Leo looking back into her eyes.

Right about this time Chris caught the movement from the doorway to the kitchen and he turned to see who was watching him. He had been so caught up cooking and talking with his brother that he didn't even notice he was being watched. That startled him a bit. He needed to keep an eye on that. There usually wasn't a time when people could sneak up on him, better yet stand and watch him for a while.

He grinned sheepishly saying, "I, uh, I thought we could have some breakfast first. Wyatt was hungry…" He trailed off not knowing if he should have made himself at home so quickly. What if they were mad? He hadn't planned on becoming so familiar with 'their' home but now that they knew… well… he thought maybe…

Piper relieved him from his worrying as she came up to him and smiled saying, "Thank you for making breakfast. You seem to be quite the cook."

Chris grinned as he removed the last of the pancakes off the griddle and said, "Well, I kinda had to be. Grandpa is a terrible cook and Wyatt…" He shot is little big brother a conspiratorial look before finishing by saying, "Well, he doesn't like to do it soo…"

Piper walked over to Wyatt and began to cut up some food for him saying, "You don't like to cook, huh? Well we are going to have to work on that, then aren't we." She fought her sadness at the fact that she wasn't around in their future. She knew they were going to change things. Her mind still wondered how she was able to leave her babies though.

Leo came up behind Piper and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, no doubt understanding what she was thinking. Chris was busy setting the table and didn't notice the actions of his parents. Actually he was purposefully ignoring their interaction. He had no idea how to act around them considering he had only recently met his mother and never knew his father. He didn't even want to get to know the man. So what that it wasn't fair to Leo, right now Chris didn't care. It just seemed that Leo was his safest outlet for his anger and frustration.

Phoebe and Paige chose this moment to walk in. Paige said, "Do I smell pancakes?"

Phoebe smiled and said, "Yummm, blueberry pancakes! They look great."

Chris blushed at the unexpected praise and said, "Well, I thought maybe we should get something to eat before getting into the heavy stuff." Apparently Chris had forgotten who he was dealing with. This group was comprised of three sisters; of course they could talk and eat at the same time.

"So, Chris…" Phoebe began, "Do you have any cousins?"

Chris choked on the bite of food he was chewing. He was coughing and reaching for a drink as Piper gave a harsh stare to her younger sister.

Phoebe gave her a look back that said, 'what?'

When Chris was able to breathe again he said, "I can't tell you that, future consequences."

Phoebe pouted and had a funny feeling she was going to get really tired of hearing that. She thought she would give it another try. After waiting around a few minutes of stilted silence she said, "So, how do we all fit here in the manor?"

Chris, thankfully, had swallowed his last bite down and was picking up his plate to take it to the sink when he said, "Actually, you don't…" Then he paused and turned around to her and said, "Aunt Phoebe you can't ask me questions like that."

Phoebe ignored the reprimand and instead squealed at the new title. Sure she had been an aunt for a while but now she had two nephews and this one called her Aunt Phoebe!

Chris rolled his eyes and looked at his mom and said, "Is she always like this?"

Piper smiled back at him and said, "You tell me."

Chris blew out a breath and continued to place his plate in the sink and moved back to clear the table saying, "You're right and yes she is." As he finished everyone chuckled, even Phoebe.

Piper decided to take the focus off her newest son by saying, "How about we clean up the kitchen later and just go into the living room and talk." All eyes were on her now. It was not like Piper at all to leave a mess in the kitchen. Even Chris was staring. "Come on, you know I need to hear this story and I have waited all night and all through breakfast. I can't wait any longer!" Piper said.

Wyatt started to fuss and Piper went over to pick him up. He was rubbing his eyes with his syrup filled hands. It had been an eventful morning for him even if the rest of the family didn't understand. Chris was afraid of a cranky toddler having full rein over their bond and what that would do to him. He decided to propose a solution, "Mom, why don't you take Wy up and get him ready for a nap while I finish with the kitchen then we can talk without interruption?"

Chris didn't see Piper's face light up with the first word of that sentence but she was still smiling when she turned around. "Okay, we will do it your way. I think someone is a little sleepy here and that is probably the smartest plan." She began to walk towards the stairs. She quickly turned and pointed to the others and said, "Don't start without me!"

Leo stood and followed her out of the room to help with Wyatt.

Paige and Phoebe helped Chris clean off the table and highchair and begin the dishes. The silence was oppressive. Each sister was trying to think of a way to ask a question that not only would get an answer but also wouldn't get them in trouble with Piper. Chris was trying to think of a way to keep his real age out of the discussion. He needed to decide how much to tell them now that the whole plan to hide who he really was, was blown out of the water.

Upstairs Piper and Leo made quick work of getting Wyatt cleaned up and into bed. Wyatt reached out and said, "Cwiss."

Piper smiled down at him saying, "Aww, you want your brother? You take a little nap first and then you can play with Chris, Okay?" That seemed to appease the little guy because he accepted his toy bear and laid down. She reached over and flipped on the baby monitor before standing next to Leo again.

Leo looked over to Piper and said, "Wyatt already trusts him."

Piper petted Wyatt's back before saying, "It seems they only had each other."

Leo pulled her into a hug and whispered, "It's not going to happen that way this time. We won't let it. This time we are going to do things differently. According to the books we have already changed most of the stuff the other Chris had against him. Thanks to your future self, this time we know he is our son." Leo paused and said, "I wonder why he never told us the truth from the start?"

Piper pulled back to look Leo in the eye as she said, "I think he was afraid we wouldn't accept him. He would rather us reject a stranger than risk us rejecting him."

Leo pulled her in for another quick hug and kissed her hair, "He doesn't know this family very well then, does he?"

Piper leaned away again and looked down, "I don't know Leo. Apparently in his time I left him with Dad. I never even told you about him!" She softly cried.

Leo squeezed her hand and said, "Not this time. This time we are going to do it together. All of it."

He kept a hold of her hand and led her out of the room and down to the living room to where the rest of the family had converged. "So, how do we start all of this?" Leo said as he clapped his hand together once. He completely missed the look of daggers Chris sent his way.

Piper continued on into the room and sat down on a couch and said, "We started to read the diaries, Chris, but what else can you tell us. I mean… I just don't understand."

Chris's look softened once he was staring into his mother's eyes and he said, "There is much that I don't understand. What I do know is that this has all happened before and more than once." He looked around the room at the others and said, "Mom and I decided to change the timing this time to occur before the attack to the Titans. Apparently in the times before I came during the attack and the Titans decimated Elderland."

Paige asked, "Ok, but why you? Why didn't we come ourselves?"

Chris looked down. He didn't want to explain what he had already figured out. He had no desire to tell them about their deaths or explain how Wyatt had raised him, how he probably would have joined him and turned to evil himself.

Leo saved him by saying, "It would probably cause too much of a disruption to the timeline. Just sending one person is hard enough but sending the Power of Three, well that could cause a lot of damage." Chris sent him a grateful glance. Maybe Leo wasn't so bad after all?

"Look, all I know is that Mom thought if I came in time to save the innocent that I could convince you guys to trust me. Of course the plan was that you wouldn't know who I was." He gave his mother an accusing stare.

Piper held up her hands and said, "Don't blame me, but for the record I am glad I know you are my son."

Chris couldn't help but smile at that statement, he blushed a little as he looked around the room and found all eyes were on him he directed the conversation away from him again. "Ok, we saved the innocent so part one is done. Now we need to save the Elders. Leo and I will need to come up with a way to convince them that I am not lying and to somehow protect them from the Titan threat."

Leo winced slightly at the use of his first name. It saddened him that although Chris immediately started calling Piper 'Mom' he still referred to him as 'Leo'. His shoulders slumped a little but he decided to go ahead and follow Chris's lead. He had an idea of the nonexistent father he had been and maybe the boy just needed time to adjust. He could give him that time. Leo was beginning to understand that someone else had filled the roll of father during his absence when Chris was small. He had assumed it was Victor, but now they knew it was Wyatt. It was going to be hard for Chris to accept his actual father to suddenly take back over the roll. He surreptitiously glanced at Piper. He figured that no one had filled the roll of mom during her absence. Well, no one until the older version stepped back up to the plate. He pushed down the slight anger he felt at being denied knowledge of his son. He knew there was a good reason for Piper to do that, besides it wasn't actually 'his' Piper that did it. No there was so much more that had gone on during that time. He hoped they never did fully understand it all because understanding it completely would mean living through it again.

Leo glanced up from his musings to find all eyes on him. Apparently the conversation kept going on while he had checked out. He tried to cover his embarrassment by asking, "What?"

Thankfully Piper said, "Do you think you can get the Elders to agree to meet with Chris?"

Leo nodded and said, "I am sure we can figure out a way for them to meet with us."

Chris interjected saying, "Uh, no, I think it would be best if I met with them myself." He hardly even knew Leo and had no intentions upon them 'bonding' with the man now.

Leo stood his ground, "No, Chris, I am not sure how you did things before but we are a family and that is the way we do things. Together." His tone had an air of finality to it. Chris wanted to say something, anything to dissuade him but if he were honest, he didn't really want to face the Elders alone.

Piper said, "That's settled then. Now what do we say to convince them?"

Paige looked up to the group and said, "I don't think they should know he is a Halliwell."

Piper's eyes darted towards her youngest sisters viciously.

Paige just continued, "I mean… I want to keep him protected for as long as possible. I don't want them thinking our family thinks we can just go tinkering through the timeline to fix any error."

Phoebe sat up and said, "But we don't! The last time was their idea!"

Chris said, "Last time?" Oh this had to be good, he had never heard of a 'last time' the family went through time story. The group ignored him.

Leo said, "You're both right. This is a good reason but we don't want to cloud their judgment. I am not ashamed of our son either, Piper." Leo added at Piper's still harsh stare. This softened both Piper and Chris's feelings on the subject. Chris was starting to worry the family wasn't going to be as supportive as they were showing.

"But I want them to listen to why and not think about who is bringing the message," Leo continued.

"I understand." Piper said, "If you agree, Chris, we will continue to refer to you as Chris Perry, whitelighter from the future. Sent here to save the Elders and warn us of a threat to Wyatt."

Chris was glad that they were finally looking for his opinion on the matter. "Well, that was the original plan so I say we stick to it and pretend that I'm not family." If he had to admit, he was glad that Piper would rather have the world know that he was her son. He really never did understand how she was able to leave. This behavior only makes it all the more confusing. She just doesn't seem like someone that would walk away from her family.

Leo stated firmly, "No." All eyes were on Leo with his strange declaration as he continued with, "We are not going to act like you aren't family. I will not be treating you like you are some kind of stranger!" Leo wanted to make sure the kid understood. This wasn't some ploy to push him away. "It will be only around them that we will pretend anything." At Chris's astonished stare he softly said, "You are my son, Chris, I won't treat you as anything different than that. It doesn't matter to me that we just met, I already love you."

Chris didn't know what to say to that. This definitely wasn't the man he thought he was going to be meeting! Fortunately for him, Wyatt chose that moment to announce that he was awake. Chris jumped up and said, "I'll get him." And he raced out of the room.

The people left behind watched him as he left. Piper reached her hand out to put it on Leo's arm and said, "Don't worry. It's going to take some time."

There were tears in his eyes when he looked back at Piper and said, "Your letter said we made mistakes with him. I guess this is going to be the biggest to overcome."

Piper looked down in shame; she had caused this rift between father and son. How horrible was the future? Why had she decided not to tell Leo about Chris? Her internal monologue was interrupted by the voices on the baby monitor. Evidently Chris was still unaware that there was one in the room.

"Hey, Wy, are you awake?" they heard Chris asking. Then they heard sheets rustling and assumed Chris was getting the toddler up. Paige reached to shut the monitor off so they could continue their discussion when they heard Chris saying, "So, that is Dad, huh? Not who I imagined him to be."

Leo reached out to stop his sister-in-law from cutting the power to the monitor. The group guiltily listened in to the brothers' conversation.

"I guess in the couple of years that he was around you really did learn how to be a dad from him. I always wondered where you got it from."

Baby Wyatt answered, "Cwiss."

And then the sound became distant from the monitor and instead they could hear the boys in the hall with Chris saying, "Yeah, that's right and you're Wy." He smiled as he shook his head, kids.

Paige flipped off the monitor before Chris could enter the room. As they entered they heard Wyatt saying, "Wy…"

All eyes were on the two boys and Chris fought the urge to fidget. Phoebe said, "I guess you two grew up really close, huh?"

Chris's eyes shot over to hers and then roamed around the room. They couldn't have heard that! There is no way they would have known so he just shrugged and said, "Sure, I guess… Why?"

Piper's eyes darted towards her younger sister daring her to find a way to explain it without giving them away. Chris missed the stare. Thankfully Phoebe said, "Oh, it's just the way you ran to get him and the nickname… Do you always call him Wy?"

Chris breathed a little sigh of relief, they didn't hear anything. He said, "Yeah, I think I always have. I may be the only one that does though… Anyway," Chris began to redirect as he placed Wyatt on the floor by some toys, "What are we going to say to the Elders?"

That brought the entire group back to the planning stages. Chris was still feeling relived that his family didn't know about him and Wyatt.

The group had decided that Leo would set up a time to meet the new whitelighter with the Elders and they would together explain the threat. Leo sent a small smile over to Piper. He was glad Chris was finally letting him be a part of this. If all he could do was be supportive during the Elder meeting then that is what he would do! He had a lot to make up for and he was going to start right now.

**TBC  
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	19. Meeting with the Elders

**Chapter 19**

**The Elders**

Chris was in the bathroom brushing his hair. Again. He had already changed his clothes twice. He felt like a teenage girl going on her first date instead of the adult whitelighter from the future that he was portraying himself to be. He was really glad he hadn't talked Leo out of going with him. If he was honest he was freaking out at the thought of going up against the group of Elders. What if they didn't believe him? Ok, that was simple then they would be wiped out. He wasn't the one to unleash the Titans. Oh God, what if they thought he was?

"Hey, Chris, are you about ready?" Leo asked as he stood in the doorway watching Chris fret over his hair.

Chris was so startled by the question he dropped the hairbrush he had been using. He blushed as he turned to say, "Uh, yeah, just about. I'll be down in a minute."

Leo stood there for a few seconds longer before giving the doorway a light smack. "OK," he said as he turned and walked back down the hallway. He knew Chris was freaking out but had no idea what to say to comfort him.

Chris picked up the hairbrush and put it back down on the counter. He straightened out his clothes and headed downstairs. He could have orbed there but he needed the time to get his head together.

The rest of the family was in the kitchen waiting on him. Wyatt was sitting in his highchair; Phoebe was feeding him his breakfast. Piper was at the stove finishing cooking eggs and bacon. She was placing the former on a plate and turning to put it on the table when she spotted Chris walking cautiously into the kitchen. She smiled at him and pointed towards the table as she said, "I hope you like it." And then she put the plate on the table before turning to put the pans in the sink.

Chris sat down at the place that Piper had pointed to. He watched as Paige made herself a plate and he followed suit. Soon Piper joined them at the table. The silence was oppressive. No one knew what to say. Finally Phoebe said, "Soooo, have you decided what you will say to the Elders?"

Chris had never been so grateful to have a mouth full of food. He had NO idea what to answer since he had no idea what he was going to say to the useless group he was going to be standing in front of today.

Leo saved him by saying, "I have already arranged a meeting in front of the council. I think that Chris just needs to let them know of the threat of the Titans and let them take it from there." When he finished speaking he gave Chris a supportive nod.

Chris smiled shyly back towards him and swallowed the food he still had in his mouth before saying, "Yeah, that is what I was thinking. We go up there, tell them who I am…"

Phoebe interrupted with "Chris Perry, whitelighter from the future!"

The family glared at her and she gave them a look that said, 'what?'

Chris hid his smile as he said, "Uh, yeah."

Paige was the next to speak, "What about the news about Wyatt?"

Piper had been following the exchange jumped in here saying, "We need to be careful here. Gideon is still an Elder."

Leo sighed; he had a hard time believing that his old mentor had been the cause of the turning of his eldest son.

Chris heard the sigh and felt the need to defend his position, "Look, I know he is your friend, but it was Mom that told me about him. I didn't make this up, you know!"

Leo was startled. He sat there for a second before he could answer, "I never said you did."

Chris was pushing away from the table as he said, "Whatever…" he started and as he was turning from the table to head out of the kitchen he said, "Maybe I should just go by myself." Chris had no idea why he was so defensive around Leo. He just felt the need to keep that wall up to protect himself every time the man said something to him. He took two steps towards the door when the sound of his mother's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Christopher Halliwell stop right there." Piper rose as she spoke, "We have already discussed this. You are going with your father up there. We are not sending you alone. You need to learn this and learn it fast, we do things together as a family."

Chris blew out a breath and hung his head. He could have almost laughed at this situation. He knew if he were back in his time that Wyatt wouldn't have let him get away with stomping off like a two year old either. He turned back to face his family, looking to his mom he said, "Sorry."

Piper's ire softened, she walked up to Chris and said quietly, "You are not alone here. We are going to help, you have to let us." Then she stepped out of his way and pointed back to the table as she said, "So go and sit back down and finish your breakfast."

Chris gave a small smile at the motherly tone and did as she said. He blushed as he realized the entire family had watched the exchange. He suddenly found the food on his plate to be very interesting.

Paige spoke again, "I don't think we should mention the threat to Wyatt yet."

Chris's head snapped up, what was Aunt Paige talking about? That was the reason he came. "But…" he began as Paige continued.

"No, listen to me. I think we need to keep Gideon in the dark about the knowledge we have concerning him. We will need more evidence to convince the Elders that Gideon is a threat."

The family sat for a moment absorbing that information. Chris was beginning to agree with his aunt. Well, right up to the moment that Leo spoke.

"I think you are right," Leo said.

Chris mumbled, "Of course you do…" And he crossed his arms in front of him.

Leo starred at Chris, not knowing what to say. The boy seemed to take offense to everything Leo said.

Piper had missed Chris's comment. She put down the pan that she had been washing and dried her hands. "You have a point," she said to her sister. "We can better protect Wyatt if Gideon is unable to come up with a different plan. We know that he is going to try to become close to us. We can use that to our advantage."

Leo blew out a breath he didn't know he had been holding as he heard Chris say, "Yeah, ok, that makes sense. We can just say that I am here to warn them about the threat from the Titans."

The rest of breakfast was full of idle chatter. Chris was beyond nervous at the thought of going before a council of Elders. His mind went back to his earlier concerns. What if they thought he was lying? What if they thought he was the one that set the Titans free? He found himself wishing he had his big brother here to protect him when suddenly he felt Wyatt orb into his arms.

"Cwiss…" Wyatt said as he reached his sticky hand up towards Chris's cheek.

Chris intercepted the hand before it could do any damage and said, "Hey Buddy, are you all through with your breakfast?" He stood and turned to take them to the bathroom to clean them both up. He didn't want to admit how relived he was not only to be able to get away from the family for a moment but to also have his brother with him. He felt stronger and more capable just having his brother there. He again wondered how it would have been if Wyatt had never dampened their bond.

The family watched the interaction between the boys and Phoebe said, "They are just so cute together."

Piper had a look of pride over her face as she watched her youngest child take care of his 'big' brother.

Leo felt a bit of jealousy he was forcefully pushing away. There is no reason for him to be jealous over his boys having such a good relationship. He thought about it for a moment and realized he wasn't jealous over what he saw but what he knew. He knew he had never been there for Chris and Chris's actions showed it. Chris was always so defensive around Leo. Leo gave himself a mental shake and firmly told himself that actions speak louder than words and that he was going to be the father that his children needed. This time around he would know both his boys!

Leo was still lost in his musings when Chris came back into the kitchen and handed Wyatt back to his mother. Leo stood and gave a reassuring smile towards Chris and asked, "Are you ready?"

Chris sighed and said, "As I'll ever be."

Leo took a few steps closer and placed a hand on Chris's shoulder. He felt slightly giddy that the kid didn't flinch. Then he orbed them out of the room.

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

Piper checked her watch again. How long was that meeting going to take?

"They'll be back soon, I'm sure," Paige told her.

"Well, it's been 3 hours! How long do they need to discuss this?" Piper asked, agitated. She sat down on the sofa to wait some more.

"Maybe they are coming up with a plan…" Paige began but she was cut off by the voices coming from the other room.

"No, it's not fine, LEO!" Chris yelled as he came storming through the living room and ran up the stairs. He punctuated his arrival in his room by slamming the door behind him.

"Chris, wait…" Leo began but tapered off as he watched Chris climb the stairs.

Piper waited a beat before asking, "What happened?"

Leo sighed and flopped down into a chair before saying, "They didn't believe us."

"What?" Piper screeched. "Then what the hell took so long?"

Leo shook his head, hating to say the next words, "They deliberated and decided that if there was a threat of that magnitude that they would know about it."

"Oh. That doesn't sound good," Paige said unnecessarily.

"Yeah, but it gets worse," Leo said with another sigh.

"What could be worse than them calling my son a liar?" Piper yelled.

Leo looked up to her with sad eyes and said, "They want to send him back."

Paige's jaw dropped and she couldn't even form a reply but that didn't stop Piper.

Piper jumped to her feet and yelled, "Absolutely NOT! They are not sending my baby ANYWHERE!"

Leo stood up and tried to calm his wife by saying, "It'll be fine. We know of the threat now and we can stop it." A small part of him wondered if he wanted to send Chris back so that he could be saved from the anger the boy was always throwing at him. He felt ashamed to admit that he wanted a fresh start with baby Chris without the hostility from the older version.

"Are you crazy? We can't send him back there! Do you remember what he came from? Do you realize what we would be sending him to?" Piper was shouting again and although she hadn't figured out a way to stop them she knew she would protect Chris with her life! "No, he stays with us." She finished her statement and stomped up the stairs towards the attic.

Paige just looked at Leo for a moment then followed behind her sister.

Leo hung his head in shame, what was he thinking? Of course he had to keep Chris here. It was his own insecurities showing when he even considered sending the boy away. He needed to stop thinking like that and be the parent that he wanted to become. That was the kind of thinking that harmed his relationship with Chris in the first future's diary. He orbed up to the attic.

Piper stared daggers at Leo before he raised his hands and said, "You're right, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking. We need to find a way to keep him here. We need to keep him safe."

Piper's glare softened a little but she didn't say anything just went back to flipping through the Book.

Paige gave Leo a small smile then she said, "Besides, we might need his help. He knows things about the future that could help us to save Wyatt."

Leo nodded and began to pace trying to figure out a way to do the right thing for both his sons.

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

Chris had slammed the door behind him and slid down it, sitting on the floor. He began to cry, not only in frustration from the meeting with the Elders but also in fear. Wyatt would definitely bind his powers if he went back home now. And if they sent him home they would undoubtedly send him back to the manor. There would be no way for him to get back with his mom so she could help hide him.

Tears rolled unchecked down his cheeks as he thought back to happier times; times when he could depend on his big brother to protect him. He wished he could have THAT big brother back right now. He would even risk a getting a spanking for traveling in time if HIS Wyatt would protect him from all of this. He shook his head and berated himself for acting like a child. He was supposed to be an adult! He let his parents think he was just angry and not the frightened little fourteen-year-old that he actually was.

More tears ran down his face. He should be home now with his biggest worry being whether or not he was grounded! Man he wished Wyatt was here.

The next thing Chris heard was the tinkling of orbs. He opened his eyes and saw little Wyatt standing in front of him. The little boy was again reaching out towards Chris. Chris could feel Wyatt's confusion and desire to comfort him. He pulled the baby into a hug. The brothers stayed that way for a while. Chris crying over his 'big' brother's shoulder and little Wyatt snuggled into Chris.

Once Chris finally got ahold of himself he pulled Wyatt away from him a little so he could look at the boy's eyes. "Thank you," he told him and he sniffed. "You're always there for me." He wiped his tears from his own face and he gave his brother a smile. Chris paused for a moment then said, "You ARE always taking care of me aren't you?"

Chris shook his head as he thought about all the times that Wyatt orbed to him when he was in trouble growing up. As his mind went quickly through the memories he suddenly thought about the times that Wyatt COULDN'T orb to him.

"That's it!" Chris said out loud. "The only time you couldn't orb and find me was when I came up with that spell. You were so angry when you couldn't sense me but you were a little proud that I was powerful enough to block you.

"That's what I have to do! I have to make a spell powerful enough to block the Elders from sensing me!" Chris finished his monologue and hugged his brother again. He roughly swiped the tears away and lifted his brother while standing up. Then he orbed them both to the attic.

When they arrived Chris strode over purposefully and placed his brother down in the pack and play located against the wall. All eyes were on him when he turned around.

Piper immediately noticed the red rimmed eyes that Chris was sporting and said, "There is no way we are sending you back. We WILL find a way!"

Chris gave a genuine smile at Piper's proclamation. Before he could even respond Leo joined in saying, "Your mother's right. The Elders have no idea what they are talking about. They were wrong about the Titans and they are wrong about their thoughts of sending you back. You are staying here with us."

Chris blinked at his father, momentarily taken aback by the show of support before he dismissed it as the ramblings of a man trying to impress his wife. He didn't like Leo and he wasn't going to start liking him, Chris thought indignantly. He looked back up at his mother and said, "I have a thought on how to fool the Elders into thinking that you went ahead and sent me back."

That had everyone's attention and Chris gave a big grin as he explained, "When I went to find out what Wyatt was up to, I made a spell to hide myself from him. Well, two spells actually; one to physically hide me and one to block me from his orbing and sensing. With Wyatt being the Twice Blessed and all it was pretty powerful…"

Paige interjected here, saying, "Yes, and if we tweak it a bit and the three of us cast it as a Power of Three spell…"

"Then it should be powerful enough to block you from them!" Piper exclaimed with a smile. Then her mind processed it for a moment and she continued with, "We cast the spell then I will go up there and tell those useless Elders ONE MORE TIME that you were sent from the future to warn them and that we sent you back. This will give them one last chance to heed the warning and let them think they have won the battle about you."

Paige nodded her head and said, "I like it! I'll go and get Phoebe, you two work on the spell." And with that she orbed out of the room.

Chris crossed the room to a book shelf and grabbed a notebook. He opened the page and began to write down his original spells.

Piper watched him and gave a sad chuckle and shook her head. Chris paused his writing and gave her a look that said, 'what?'

Piper said, "I will never understand how the future versions of us didn't immediately know you were family. You look like me, act like me and you know this house as if you lived here; which, of course, you have." She shook her head again and continued with, "I am so glad we know. I would feel so stupid finding out how willfully blind we all were."

Chris gave her a small smile, again he had to feel grateful to his mom in the future for letting his family know. He didn't know how he would cope with his own family distrusting him. He gave a mental shake of his head; why on earth did he believe them NOT knowing would be a good idea? He finished writing his original spells and handed them over to Piper.

Piper accepted the paper and read what was written. She gave him a little laugh and said, "A bit of over kill here, don't ya think?"

Chris blushed a little and said, "Well, I had to be sure he couldn't see or sense me. If he found me…" he trailed off. He had no intention of letting his parents know exactly WHAT would have happened if Wyatt had found him.

Piper looked back up at Chris and asked, "He'd what?"

Chris blushed furiously and stammered, "Nu… nothing… he'd just be really mad."

Piper shot a look over to Leo and they shared a questioning glance but both decided to let it go for now since Paige chose that very moment to orb back in with Phoebe.

Phoebe looked around the room and said, "What did I miss?"

Piper rolled her eyes at her younger sister and said, "Tons, but you can help me here." She showed the paper Chris had handed her; her own notes scrawled on the side.

Phoebe let out a laugh and said, "TWO spells? These are the same thing!"

Chris was blushing again as he said, "Yeah, well, I wanted to be sure…" he again trailed off. This time no one questioned it.

Paige walked over and looked at the spells with only a mild grin on her face. The three sisters worked for a bit while Chris studiously ignored Leo and Leo tried hard to come up with something to say to his son.

Leo wandered over closer to Chris and said, "Don't worry, we will figure this all out and then all we have to worry about is Wyatt."

Chris gave Leo a glance and continued to look through the shelf of ingredients that he had been sifting through.

Leo tried again, "You know…" but he was saved from trying any further when Piper picked the paper back up and announced that they had finished the spell.

Chris walked over closer and Piper lifted the paper and she and her sisters said,

Magical forces heed our spell

From all Elders cloak Christopher Halliwell

Then Piper burned the sheet that she had been holding.

Chris didn't feel any different so he asked, "Is that it? Did it work?"

Paige was the one to reply, "I think we should all go up to the Elders and see if they notice you."

Piper said, "No, just Leo and I will go up."

"Mom, I know you're worried but have to be sure," Chris explained.

"Chris is right, Piper. I know you want to protect him but we have to be sure the spell worked," Leo said in no uncertain terms.

Chris gave him a grateful look and a small smile. Leo returned the gesture. Piper missed both as she had turned back towards her sisters.

Piper drew in a deep breath prepared to argue again but this time Phoebe spoke, "They're right and you know it. We have to be certain they think we sent him to the past or you will worry the rest of the time he is here."

Piper sighed heavily and said, "Fine, we do this your way then."

Leo smiled at his wife and went over to her pulling her into a hug and kissed her hair. "It'll be fine. We will be certain that they don't notice him and be able to tell them that he is gone. I will orb the three of us up there so they don't notice the extra orbing sounds; and then we tell them that the Charmed Ones sent him back."

Piper leaned into the embrace and nodded. She then reached out and grabbed Chris's hand.

Chris started to pull away saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?"

Piper followed the hand and grabbed it before saying, "If we are going to do this we are doing it right now before I change my mind."

With that Leo orbed the three of them _up there_.

Once the trio rematerialized Piper looked around and rolled her eyes at the groups of Elders standing around in their golden robes clicking at each other. She cleared her throat to gather their attention then said, "There is a threat to all of you up here and you would be well advised to take precautions."

One of the robed figures walked closer. Leo tensed recognizing the Elder as Gideon. The Elder spoke in a British accent as he said, "Leo, you know better than to bring your charge up here." He lead them off to the side, "We will be dealing with this threat in our own way." There was a pause then Gideon said, "What of the time traveler? Have you returned him to his time?"

Piper gave a false smile as she said, "Yes, we already sent him back to the future." She wanted to chuckle at the movie reference that rolled through her mind at the end of the statement but she held it back waiting to see if Gideon would call her on the lie; especially considering the fact that Chris was standing just behind her.

Gideon met her eyes and said, "Good! It is not wise to know too much about the future." He turned his attention back to Leo as he said quietly, "It would be better for you to go back now. I will make sure the others stay on top of the Titan situation."

Gideon smiled as he looked back to Piper, ignoring Chris the entire time, as he said, "It was good to finally meet you Piper. Hopefully we can meet again to discuss Wyatt attending Magic School."

Piper's eyes shot over to Leo and Leo quickly said, "Ok, we'll leave now. Thanks for your help, Gideon." Leo watched as Piper covertly reached behind her back to grab Chris's hand again then he orbed them back to the manor.

As they rematerialized Piper shook out of Leo's hold and asked, "Magic School? What exactly is Magic School?"

Chris answered before Leo had a chance, "It's a school for magical children. I read about it in the first diary."

Piper looked back at Chris and said, "You didn't go, right?"

Chris smiled and said, "Are you kidding? Me and Wy went to public school. I had never even heard of Magic School until I read the diaries. But apparently the other Chris and Wyatt went."

Piper looked quickly back at Leo but her sisters jumped in demanding an explanation of what happened while they were gone.

Phoebe said, "Never mind about that, what happened _up there_?"

Piper glanced to Phoebe then back at Leo giving him a 'we aren't finished here' look.

Chris began to chuckle, "Gideon looked right past me and asked Mom if she sent me back! She told him you guys did and he seemed really pleased about that. He even commented about it being a bad thing to know too much about the future."

Paige nodded and said, "Gideon, huh? I bet he is glad that we don't have someone here telling us what he's up to! Now we need to focus on finding proof of his involvement."

"Yes, we need to get enough to get the council to recycle him," Leo added.

Chris flinched at the statement. He had no idea what they were going to do with Gideon when they caught him but he was REALLY glad the Elders hadn't tried to recycle him!

**TBC**


	20. The Titans

**Chapter 20**

**The Titans**

A few weeks had gone by since Chris and Leo had spoken with the Elders. Chris was trying hard to find time to get away from his family and make contacts in the underworld. He didn't want them to see his inexperience. Well, at least any perceived inexperience he told himself. He had plenty of experience with the underworld if you counted his time with Seth. That time, of course, dealt with lower level demons but Chris was secure enough in his powers and his desire to save his brother that he felt he could prove himself a worthy adversary.

Chris would leave early in the morning or really late at night while everyone was asleep. Today he did a glamor to make himself look like a darklighter and did a quick spell to darken his orbs saying:

Magical forces black and white

Make my orbs as dark as night

And he dark orbed down to the underworld.

Piper was the first one in the house after Chris's departure to awaken. She checked on Wyatt then went to check on Chris. She sighed sadly as she realized that he had left again without them. She really needed to put a stop to this disappearing. It wasn't safe for him to go off gallivanting in the underworld alone.

She was still pondering a way to stop her grown son from putting himself in danger as she made herself a cup of coffee. Paige joined her, yawning loudly.

"Well, good morning, Sleepyhead," Piper told her baby sister.

Paige made a noncommittal sound as she poured herself a cup of coffee and joined Piper at the table. After a few minutes of silence and more than a few sips of coffee Paige said, "Have you been having any weird dreams lately?"

Piper took a drink from her cup as she considered the question then answered, "No, not that I can remember. Why?"

Paige huffed for a moment then related to Piper, "I have been having these dreams of fire and brimstone... of ancient wars… weird, magical dreams. I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something."

Piper froze as her sister told her story. She got up quickly and ran towards the stairs. Paige watched her go and gave her a questioning look. Of course, Piper never saw it but returned quickly holding two books in her hands.

She threw one book at her sister and began to flip through the pages. Paige grabbed the book but sat staring at her sister waiting for an explanation.

Piper finally stopped on one of the pages and looked up in horror, "It's beginning…"

Paige didn't understand and took the book from her sister and read the passages on the page that Piper had stopped at.

"Oh no," Paige said as she read. She stopped and looked up at Piper and said, "The Titans…"

The girls stared at each other for a moment before Piper yelled out, "Leo…" then paused and yelled out, "Chris!"

Leo materialized quickly, Piper began to explain, "We found something out…"

Before she could get into the story a dirty Chris wearing ripped up clothes, dark orbed in.

Piper raised her hands in self-defense before she realized who the new comer was. Lowering her one hand and pointing a finger with the other she said, "We will be discussing this," as she gestured his attire, "those dark orbs and your continuous ventures to the underworld later, Mister! Right now we have bigger problems."

Chris blushed at the admonishment but was grateful for the reprieve. He knew his mom wasn't happy with him leaving without telling them. He was also well aware that she was giving him some latitude considering he was an 'adult' but he had a feeling she was getting to the end of her rope with him. He only hoped these forays into the underworld gave him enough experience to fool his parents into believing that he did this on a usual basis.

He decided to put off changing the glamour for fear he would show, even if for a second as his fourteen year old self. Instead he asked, "What's going on?"

This got Piper back on subject and she pointed to the diary, "I think the Titans are back. Paige has been having dreams that the diaries said she had before the attacks."

Phoebe entered the kitchen fanning herself, not noticing the family was in a serious discussion, "Whoa, it is sooo hot. I really think we need to invest in some air conditioning. I mean, really, why is it 90 degrees in San Francisco?" She finished pouring the cup of coffee and turned to face the family. She blushed as she saw that they were all staring at her intently. "What did I miss?" she asked innocently.

Chris gave her a quick recap as she sat down to join the family. "So what do we do now?" Phoebe asked.

"I think…" Leo began but then paused. "The Elders are calling for me," he said as he gave a glance to Piper then orbed away.

Chris rolled his eyes, not at all surprised by Leo's departure. Instead he said, "This is when the other me came. Apparently Aunt Paige decided to try to lure the Titans here by orbing." He and his other mom had discussed this at length before they decided to send him during a different time. He then decided he better glamor back if they were going to be facing the Titans, "Uh, I am going to go get cleaned up. I don't know when I will get another chance during all of this…"

Piper looked up to him quickly; ready to tell him no when she saw again what he was wearing. "Ok, just be fast about it. Time is not on our side." She began to look back down at the book before darting her eyes back up to her youngest child and all but yelled, "NO ORBING!"

Chris smiled sheepishly, since he was about to orb to his room. He gave a nod and walked quickly out of the room. He said the reversal spell on his way up the stairs, no need to get himself blown up by his mom if she thought he was a darklighter…

Magical forces black and white

Turn my orbs back to light

…Before jumping in to take a quick shower. When he was finished he quickly glamoured back to the adult whitelighter his family was used to seeing. He gave a smug grin in the mirror before joining his family again.

Chris was just joining his family when Leo orbed back down; he tried to hold back his sigh of disappointment. He really hated being around Leo.

"The Elders said that two whitelighters are missing." Leo said without preamble.

"Then it's already starting…" Piper said as she flipped back through the books. "It seems that when Chris came back that Paige had just been turned to stone. He told them that the Titans had taken over the world and that Paige had died. Apparently he was just using that as his way in though. Paige didn't die and the reason he came back was always about Wyatt… But Paige you are not going to be drawing any Titans here. NO ORBING!" Piper concluded with a stern look at her sister.

Paige raised her hands and said, "Ok, ok, no orbing. I have no desire to be turned into stone anyway."

Phoebe was reaching for a diary as she asked, "Why are they turning whitelighters into stone anyway?"

This time it was Chris that answered, "They are stealing their ability to orb so they can get into Elderland." All eyes were on him when he finished so he said, "What? That is what the diaries said; Mom and I researched it thinking I was coming during the attack again."

Piper's eyes darted up to Leo's as she said, "No, it's just if that is how they get up there then you need to warn them, Leo."

Leo locked eyes with Piper for a moment before nodding and orbing off.

Piper shook her head, "As much I as I don't like them, I hope we are not too late…"

There was a long pause before Phoebe finally asked, "Soooo, does anyone know how we defeat the Titans?"

Chris, Phoebe and Paige all looked towards Piper. Piper glanced down at the journal. When she looked up she locked eyes with Chris.

Chris blew out a breath and said, "The only way to defeat them is for you three to become gods."

Paige was staring open mouthed but Phoebe was the one that asked, "How?"

Piper answered quickly, "We need to find another way."

Chris glanced at his aunts before returning the look to Piper saying, "Mom, you know it's the only way."

Piper glared over at Chris and said, "No. I said we will find another way."

Phoebe and Paige were watching the exchange not understanding at all what the problem was. "So we become gods, defeat them and then give up the powers, what's the problem?" Paige asked.

"The Elders won't allow us to become gods," Piper stated with finality.

Chris ignored the glare still being sent his way from Piper when he said, "But they do…"

"No!" Piper all but yelled, "They don't! Leo would have to become an Elder to do it and that is what breaks up my marriage!"

Chris huffed out a breath and looked down. He had hoped that by informing the Elders of the coming of the Titans they would be able to avoid this situation entirely. Somehow he still felt to blame for the breakup of his parent's marriage even though he had nothing to do with it. And it looked like the future Chris had nothing to do with it either by the way things were playing out here.

Phoebe put an arm around Piper and said, "It doesn't have to end that way this time sweetie."

Just as she finished the sentence a tinkling of orbs sounded throughout the room. Leo appeared with tears in his eyes. He just stood there for a second before he could say, "I was too late. All the Elders that didn't leave _up there_ to hide within the magical community are dead. I don't know how many survived."

Piper walked over to him and held him for a moment while he got himself back together. Once she felt he was ready she asked him, "What are we going to do now?"

Leo looked around the room and then back to his wife before saying, "We need to talk with Chris. He said that he and future Piper had discussed this, maybe they came up with another plan." As he finished his sentence he looked back up at the two other sisters, his eyes never stopping on Chris. He looked back down to his wife and said, "Can you call him back here? Where did he go, anyway? It isn't safe for him to be out there with the Titans killing whitelighters."

Piper looked over to the boy and said, "Chris…"

Leo looked up expectantly at the ceiling for a long moment before exclaiming, "Why isn't he coming… I can't sense him either…"

As Leo got himself worked up Piper looked up at him saying, "That isn't funny, Leo!"

Leo only looked back at his wife with tears in his eyes asking, "What?"

Phoebe doubled over a bit as she called out, "Piper, wait…"

In the distance we could hear Paige quietly saying, "Oh no…" and she slowly backed out of the room but no one was paying attention.

Piper was still staring at her husband as she called out, "Leo!"

At the same time Chris said, "Dad, I'm right here."

The name that he used to refer to Leo caught Piper's attention. The boy hadn't called Leo 'Dad' the entire time he had been here. Chris didn't seem to notice the paternal name he had used and continued to look at his father expectantly.

Phoebe called out louder, "Piper, he isn't kidding… I don't know how I know this but he is panicking, it is killing me to feel it."

Piper only looked at her sister; she didn't understand.

The words in the room were a jumbled mess as Leo exclaimed, "Where is my son?"

While Piper was saying "That isn't possible!"

All the chaos was silenced as the ear piercing whistle let out by Paige filled the room. Suddenly all eyes were on her. She walked over to Piper pulling Phoebe with her as she said, "Trust me, read this with me and everything will be explained…"

Phoebe and Piper looked at the sheet Paige was holding. Piper glared at her baby sister but Paige said, "Trust me."

The three sisters recited the lines that Paige had written:

Unblock the cloak through family ties

Open up this Elder's eyes

Leo watched the sisters as they recited the spell. In the corner of his eye he saw a flicker of movement. He followed the movement and saw Chris standing there. He took three strides to reach the boy and pulled him into a hug whisper, "I thought I had lost you."

Chris was so taken aback by the hug and statement he just stood there dumbstruck, not flinching from the hug or returning the gesture.

Phoebe was again swept up in the emotion being emitted by the elder and she stood smiling at the display the father and son were making.

Piper grabbed the paper from Paige and read it again to herself. She couldn't believe it. An Elder! Leo had already become an Elder. She looked at Paige for confirmation and Paige gave her a sad, knowing smile. Piper closed her eyes and sighed heavily. She grieved a moment for her family, but just a quick moment as she quickly stepped back into the role of the Halliwell Matriarch.

Piper opened her eyes and stated with authority, "We will deal with all of this later. Right now you," she pointed at Leo who had turned to face her as she began to speak. "I need you to go back up there and release the power of the gods."

She then looked at her sisters and said, "When you get this power we will defeat the Titans and then we will release the power." She then looked at Phoebe and said, "You… DO NOT go to your work function." Then she turned towards Paige and said, "And you, you are not going to start getting in target practice!"

Both sisters looked at Piper as if she had finally lost it.

But Piper wasn't done. She looked at Chris and said, "You go get your brother and stay with him. DO NOT leave this house. Stay close to him so that he can protect you with his shield."

Chris had already opened his mouth to object but she silenced him with, "No! I don't want to hear it. The faster we deal with this the quicker I can have my family back!" There was no room for debate with her.

Leo glanced down at Chris one last time before acquiescing to Piper's demand. He orbed out of the room without further discussion.

Chris wasn't as willing to give in but Piper looked at him and said, "NOW!"

Self-preservation kicked in and the boy quickly walked over to the stairs and went to get his brother. The last thing he needed her to do was to start 'counting'. That wouldn't do well for his image at all.

Chris entered the room and looked over at his sleeping brother. He gave a small smile at the toddler before he glanced back at the door. He wanted to be a part of the action. He began to quietly pace the room. He was the one that had studied the books; shouldn't he be the one down there? He glanced back one more time at the baby then crept towards the door.

Chris walked towards the stairs but stopped short at the sounds coming from below. He could hear his mother explaining to her sisters how they needed to declare themselves gods; that they didn't need to worry about being corrupted by the power because they had already done this in the future and had been able to give the power back. Chris smirked a little about the fact that Piper omitted. He knew that she was the one that had the most trouble relinquishing the power. He pressed his lips together as he remembered that future Chris was the reason she felt she had lost her family. They had felt that future Chris tricked Leo into becoming an Elder. Now she had to know that wasn't the case. With the destruction of the Elders he had just become one.

Chris turned and walked back into the room with his brother. He wondered if he was yet again placing himself at risk of not being born. It wasn't a thought he really gave much credence to since he had come back time and time again and still managed to be conceived. Now he worried that he was making too many changes.

He was broken from his thoughts as he heard Piper's voice ring through with, "It's not nice to piss off Mother Nature." The house shook and then peace settled over the dwelling once again.

Chris walked over to Wyatt, who was now sitting up and picked the baby up. He walked back towards the stairs with his brother in his arms and carefully peered around the corner to make sure the Titans were gone.

Phoebe was the one that spotted him; calling out, "It's ok, sweetie they're gone now."

Paige huffed and said, "Yeah… that was kinda anticlimactic!" She glanced around the room before glancing at the trident in her hands again, "I was hoping for a little more target practice."

Piper ignored her sister's complaints and looked at Chris saying, "Go and get your father. Tell him we are done here, the threat is over. He needs to bring the jar thing so we can release these powers."

Chris was about to hand her Wyatt so he could orb off when she said, "Oh, and tell him to plan to stay awhile. We need to talk about all of this."

**TBC**

_**A/N: And there you go! So for those of you wondering if Leo would become an Elder, this is how it happened :D Now the question is will he stay an Elder long enough for Chris to be conceived as a witch/elder hybrid? **_


	21. New Information

**Chapter 21**

**New Information**

Chris was in the attic cutting up some herbs for a few potions. He was feeling a little jumpy. Not only did this latest contact scare him a little but ever since the Titans Piper has been keeping a closer eye on the young whitelighter. He felt pretty safe since Piper was still at the club and Leo was busy giving Wyatt a bath, so he had some time.

He grimaced when he thought about how Piper would react to his plan to go out alone tonight. After the little 'talk' she and Leo had with him about his 'gallivanting in the underworld' (and yeah, that was a quote) he had no choice but to make sure they didn't know how often he orbed out alone. The good news was that Piper wanted to limit his excursions, not stop them completely. He was surprised that he hadn't had to argue his point about being able to do things on his own; especially after the way she yelled at Leo before she came to 'talk' with him.

He almost giggled thinking about the argument between Mom and Leo. After the Titan attack Chris had been ordered (and he didn't use the term lightly) to get his father and inform the man that he was 'staying for a while'. Chris did exactly that and then promptly orbed himself back into his own room where he may have listened (and watched covertly) to the 'talk' between his parents. There had been some yelling and some threating but Chris's favorite part was when Mom blew Leo up. Now that was funny! Aunt Paige had been right about Mom doing that! He was glad he was half witch because Leo had complained that it hurt to be blown up.

Chris was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't hear Piper come into the house.

Piper watched Chris as he worked intently, completely ignoring her presence. "Where are you headed off to?" she asked him.

He startled and looked up at her but quickly gained his composure, 'now was not the time to show weakness' he thought. He answered her lightly, "I have a lead on the players behind Gideon. I thought if I could find more evidence then the other Elders would have to take us seriously."

Piper nodded but something felt wrong. Her mommy sense was spiking and she felt the need to protect Chris, but she wasn't sure from what. She was saved from having to say anymore when Leo walked into the room. "Do we have another vanquish?" Leo asked and Chris jumped again.

The boy was far too jittery for Piper's liking, "No, seems Chris here has a lead."

Chris took on a look of aloofness and said, "Yeah no biggie."

Leo looked at the face of concern on Piper and then back to Chris and asked, "Where are we going?"

Chris startled again but quickly shook it off, "Uh, just me… it's nothing really, merely a meeting…" He trailed off.

Leo and Piper exchanged glances again and Piper said, "A meeting with whom?"

Chris was quickly stuffing the vials he had made into a bag and said, "Really, it's nothing…" Trailing off and not answering.

This time Leo intervened, "Answer your mother."

Chris stopped what he was doing and retorted, "You know I am a grown man, I have plans. You two need to get over whatever protective crap you have going on. I can take care of myself and if I say I have a meeting then damn it, I have a meeting." He needed to get outta here fast.

He went to orb but Leo grabbed his arm, "Who are you meeting, Christopher."

And wasn't that just peachy, he suddenly had flashbacks to when he tried to act all grown up around Wyatt and Wyatt set him straight, usually straight over his knee. He needed to keep up this façade with his family. So far they had been treating him like the man he was glamoured to look like. Finally deciding he had to tell them something he said, "I'm meeting with the old Crone."

Piper exclaimed, "What!"

Chris continued as if nothing had been said, "There are demons down there that will set up this meeting for a price."

Piper walked in front of Chris and got in his face and said, "You most certainly will not! We have met with her before and that is not a meeting you are going to by yourself!" Chris took a couple of steps back already beginning to lose his nerve to fight Piper.

Leo completely agreed with his wife and said, "If this is to be done, ever, then we will do it as a family not as an individual."

Chris lost any ability he had to fight off both parents. A small part of his brain cheered that they would take such measures to protect him. A larger part was getting pissed off at being treated like a child. "Look, I am here for a reason, Leo." Still not using the 'Dad' title on his father, "Either you want to protect the world or you want to coddle me! You cannot make up for lost time by being over protective now!"

Piper stepped back into his space and said, "No. You are not going and that is final." She took the bag from his hand and placed it back on the table.

Chris wanted to scream but he had a better plan; let them think they won. He huffed and said, "Have it your way!" And he orbed out of the room. Piper looked up to Leo and Leo confirmed that he had only gone to his bedroom. Piper let out a breath she hadn't been aware she had been holding. Leo pulled her into a hug. She didn't like the thought of fighting with Chris but he needed to be kept safe.

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

Piper went to check on Wyatt again. It was the middle of the night and something felt off but the baby was fine. She stood in the hall debating whether or not to check on Chris. He was an adult, right? She shouldn't have to watch his every move. So what that he tried to go off on his own to the underworld. They discussed it, well argued over it and she won because she was the mom. So why did it feel like something was wrong?

Piper finally decided just one quick peak wouldn't hurt anything. At the very least it would give her some peace of mind so she could finally get some rest. She cracked the door open and looked into the dark room towards the bed; the bed that was still made and there was no sign of Chris.

"LEO!" She screamed.

Leo awoke abruptly and turned to face his wife only to find her not in the bed with him. He quickly sensed for her and orbed to her. She was standing in Chris's room with the light on.

Piper looked up at Leo and said, "Can you sense him?"

Leo was already on the job but looked back at her and shook his head no.

Piper took off towards the attic yelling, "We've got to find him." Her mind went back to the talk with Chris on how he had found his mom. She went straight to the book and got the 'to summon a lost witch spell'. She had all the ingredients together before Leo could even get into the attic with her. She took a knife and cut her finger before saying:

Blood to Blood I summon thee

Blood to Blood return to me

Within seconds white and gold lights surrounded Chris as he appeared before them. He had both his hands raised and he was frozen, covering his head and cowering in a defensive posture. Once the lights faded he slowly lowered his hands and looked around the room and upon seeing his parents he schooled his features to the aloof posture he often took.

Piper was in his face in an instant, "What the hell were you thinking? Where were you?"

Chris's eyes went from Piper to Leo and back to Piper before saying, "I, uh…" and all the while he was thinking, 'oh shit!' but he had to prove that he was a grown up so he straightened up a little taller and said, "I told you, Piper, I had a meeting."

Piper recoiled from her given name but Leo stepped up and said, "That didn't seem to be going so well."

Chris's eyes flashed to his father, 'how did they know it was going badly?' he thought but said, "Yeah, well I can handle myself. I am a grown man you know." There! He was putting them in their place!

Piper rounded on him and said, "You may be an adult, but we already discussed this. I told you not to go out."

Piper raised her arms and Leo gently placed his hands on her forearms.

Leo said, "Maybe we should talk about this tomorrow when we all have clearer heads."

Chris jumped at the chance to get out of this and said, "Fine!" and he orbed to his room.

Leo sensed for him and realized he had gone to bed. He turned Piper around and said, "We need to calm down before you blow him up, Piper."

She blushed, her anger flagging as the worry seeped back in. "It's just…" She started.

He said, "I know. We will all talk about this tomorrow. Let him get some sleep. Let us get some sleep. Things will look different in the morning."

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

*** * * ****Future 2018**** * * ***

Months had passed and Piper began to wonder if Chris gave the letters to her counterpart and her husband. Nothing had changed here except to have grown worse. Rumor had it that Wyatt was searching desperately for Chris and believed that Piper was hiding him. It took all her powers and she called in every favor owed to her to hide herself from Wyatt and still be able to redirect the flow of information to the Resistance. She hung her head thinking about the fact that she was trying to protect her nieces and nephew from her first born.

She pressed her lips together and thought about all the threats that they were being faced with. They had finally learned who was behind the attacks that had killed her sisters. Apparently there had been a leak of information and a renegade group of demons formed an alliance of sort. That was the reason that there were so many different demons. They don't usually work together but the information that had been gathered stated that the Charmed Ones were planning to overtake the Underworld. The demons decided to strike out at the magical sisters and end the revolt before it could even begin. The things they hadn't counted on were the fact that Piper wouldn't be there, that Chris could take them all on and the most important reason, the fact that it wasn't the Charmed Ones that were planning the uprising. It seems that Wyatt had planned to unite the Underworld under his rule and eventually lead the demons above ground; announcing magic to the world.

She shook her head. She was doing everything she could to protect the people here; her father and nieces and nephews were all being guarded. She felt she needed to do something, anything to help Chris in the past. She needed to trust that he did give those letters out. He had promised, but then again, so had she. Technically she didn't break her promise although even she knew she had broken the spirit of it. She stood up and paced the small room thinking that she had done the right thing. He was going to need all the help he could get. Besides she would never wish the terrible guilt she had over her treatment of Chris before realizing he was her son. They would believe her, right? They would protect him, wouldn't they?

Great, so now she needed to worry about her mothering instincts in the past. Well, who could blame her considering her choice? In her timeline she gave her children up. What if they made similar mistakes? She could no longer sit by and do nothing. She had to get a message to the past. Just one more message, she reasoned, they needed to understand that on him all hope depends. They needed to recognize that he must be protected at all costs. With that thought she picked up a pen and began to write another letter to herself in the past. Once she finished she spoke the spell:

Unseen forces through space and time

Heed the hope within this rhyme

Take this note so she can see

And protect the boy I sent to thee

/ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

*** * * 2003 * * ***

Piper and Leo were both asleep when the white and gold lights appeared over her bed. The sudden illumination awoke Piper slightly and she watched the light show out of sheer curiosity. Out of the center of the lights dropped a folded paper and the lights disappeared. Piper reached over to lamp by the side of the bed and switched it on; glancing at the clock and noting that it was 6:00 am. 'Well some sleep was better than none at all' she mused. She carefully reached out to the paper now sitting on her covered leg. She unfolded the paper and saw that it was a letter, another note from herself in the future. She idly began to wonder what the postage rate for a time traveling letter would be. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as she began to read.

_Piper, months have passed and things here are only getting worse. My fears and my worries for Chris are escalating. I know you are doing the best that you can but I had to send one last message to make sure you protect Chris at all costs. He feels he has so much to prove and unfortunately my decision to leave him makes him doubt my love. I don't know what I intended this letter to do, I just can't sit by any longer and wait for my baby to return home. I should have never sent a fourteen year old to the past, no matter who it was to. Just take care of him. ~Piper_

Piper reread the letter once and then again. Her mind just couldn't comprehend the age of that whitelighter from the future. He said he as twenty! Oh God, he had glamoured himself to look older. He knew there was no way they would treat him like an adult if he looked fourteen. She shook Leo awake, "Leo wake up! You have to see this."

He sleepily rose and took the note she shoved in his face. When he hit the part telling him Chris's age he shot up, all notions of sleep forgotten. He looked over at Piper and said, "He's just a teenager!" Leo shook his head, "I… I had no idea."

Piper stood up and threw on a robe saying over her shoulder, "I have to check on him." Leo was behind her in a flash.

The both strode to the doorway of the room they all considered to be Chris's and slowly pushed the door open. The light from the hall illuminated the room and showed a sleeping Chris curled on the bed. Piper backed away giving Leo a scathing look as if this were his entire fault. She walked downstairs and to the kitchen. She began to make some coffee saying, "Fourteen, he's just fourteen. Oh, God what kind of parents were we…" Then she remembered that she wasn't the one that raised him. Well that ended here and now. She may have made mistakes in the past but they were going to fix this.

Leo looked up at her and said, "Can you reverse the spell?"

Piper smiled thinly, "I was thinking the same thing." She paused for a moment thinking up a spell then focused her energy on Chris and said:

What once was shown put on the shelf

Show the face of your true self

Leo raised his hand and closed his eyes. Blue and white lights traveled through the air and into his open palm. Piper raised her eyebrows at him and he said, "We are going to be discussing this with him and I don't want him orbing off."

Piper's eyes widened, "You clipped his wings?"

Leo smiled and said, "Temporarily. The rest will be up to him. I cannot believe he lied to us for this long. What else is he hiding?"

Piper started to pace and said, "I have no idea! I am going to kill him. How dare he trick us like that? He's still a baby for God's sake."

The two parents settled at the table and waited for their 'youngest' child to wake up…

**TBC**


	22. Consequences

**Chapter 22**

**Consequences**

Chris rolled over in bed and checked the clock; it was 6:15 in the morning. 'Good' he thought as he pulled some clothes on; Mom and Leo will still be asleep, I can go and do some checking in the underworld before they even get up. He threw on some clothes, slipped on and tied his shoes then stood to orb out. Nothing happened, "What the hell?" he asked out loud. No way did they put an antiorbing spell around the house; what if Paige wanted to come over or if Leo needed to go _up there_? 'Maybe they just put it around my room' he thought as he quietly walked out of his bedroom. When he was standing in the hall he tried again to orb, no luck. "Damn it!" he said aloud.

He heard his mother call out, "Christopher, get down here right now." Oh crap, this couldn't be good. He slowly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to see both parents staring at him.

His eyes went to his mother then to his father before saying, "You two are up early. I was just gonna…"

Piper cut him off by saying "You aren't going anywhere, mister! I don't know how you were raised but things are going to change around here."

Chris was starting to panic despite himself. He knew he was in trouble for going out last night but really, rules? Didn't they see he was a grown up now? I mean, sure he was only fourteen but they didn't know that! "Come on Piper, you know that last night…"

Leo stood up and got closer to Chris and said, "I have had enough of that. She," he said as he pointed to Piper, "Is Mom. I," Pointing to himself, "Am Dad. And you," he said as he pointed towards Chris, "are grounded."

This wasn't going well at all but Chris knew his best defense would be an offense so he puffed himself up and said, "Listen, LEO, I don't know what you think you are trying to pull but you need to get over yourself." With those final words he shoved Leo out of his way and strode out of the kitchen. He was thinking that might not have been the best of plans considering he couldn't orb but he continued to walk towards the door.

Leo had been so taken aback that Chris had shoved him he didn't react right away. That only lasted a moment or two and when he came back into himself he walked up quickly behind Chris and grabbed him by the arm and swatted him twice on the butt, hard. Chris yelped but didn't say before Leo was in his face saying, "I can't believe you just did that. Right now I want you to go up to your room and take a look at yourself in the mirror and then wait for me there." And with that he shoved him towards the stairs. Chris was so shocked that he stumbled his way up the stairs and entered his room.

Chris stood at the door to his room and stared. What was it that Leo said, 'look in a mirror'? What the hell did that mean? He walked over to the dresser mirror and looked himself in the eye, "Oh shit!" he said out loud. There staring back at him was his fourteen year old face. He shot a look around the room and then back to the mirror. Oh he was so in for it! If those swats meant what he thought they meant then he needed to get outta here fast! He tried to orb, out of habit and swore out loud again, he had forgotten he couldn't orb. His heart was pounding; he knew what would be coming next if he were still in his own time. There was no way he was sticking around to see if Leo would follow up the same way Wyatt would. He crept quietly out of his room, leaving the door open so that he didn't make any noise. He softly padded down the first couple of stairs. He could see his parents in the living room and he could only pray that they didn't see him try to sneak out. He was sure that once he got out of the house he would be able to orb again.

Leo and Piper were standing in the living room discussing what to do with their now teenage son.

Out of the corner of his eye Leo saw Chris quietly trying to make his way down the stairs. He didn't turn to look at him he only raised his voice slightly and said, "When I get up there if you aren't standing with your nose in a corner you are going to be one very sorry little boy."

Chris tripped over his own feet trying to hurry back to his room. He sullenly marched to a corner of the room and tipped his head into the wall, 'isn't that just great! Apparently punishment is genetic because this is exactly what Wyatt would have done,' he thought. With no way to get out of the house he had to just stand here, thinking about what a bad idea glamouring himself to look older was. He knocked his head into the wall again, 'how did they figure it out?' he wondered.

Piper nodded at Leo and said, "I will handle Wyatt; you can take care of Chris."

Leo tried to force a grin that came out more as a grimace as Piper passed him and walked up the stairs to check on Wyatt. This was not something Leo was looking forward to but Chris had really crossed a line. He hadn't just gone out to the underworld alone after being told not to; he also had been lying to them since the first met him. He had said he was twenty and he frequently spoke of the 'fact' that he was an adult.

Leo had no idea what he was going to do. If he were honest, he kinda shocked himself by swatting Chris. What really surprised him though was the way Chris reacted, or rather didn't react, to the smacks. Leo decided he was going to file that information for now. He took a deep breath and resolved not to make Chris wait any longer.

Leo walked up the stairs passing; Piper who was carrying Wyatt down to the kitchen, she gave him a supportive smile. He walked into Chris's room and pulled out the chair to the desk by the door and sat there for a minute before asking his question to his son's back, "So, you wanna explain?"

Chris didn't turn around instead he mumbled something that sounded like, "Not really."

There was a pregnant pause before Leo said, "So how about we start with the age."

Chris hung his head; he was actually kinda hoping maybe; just maybe they hadn't noticed that he now appeared YEARS younger than he claimed.

The silence was heavy before Leo asked, "How old are you?"

Chris sighed before he told the wall in front of him, "Fourteen."

Leo nodded his head agreeing with the answer before he said, "So, is lying just a bad habit of yours then?"

With that Chris whipped around to face his father and he all but yelled, "You never would have listened to me if you knew how old I was!"

Leo wasn't moved by the argument, "That justifies you lying to us? We're your parents Chris; I think we deserved the truth! First you weren't going to tell us who you were, that would have led to lies, then you tell us you are twenty when you are actually MUCH younger." Chris hung his head as the lecture continued. "And last night you went into the underworld after your mother and I expressly told you not to. This is to say nothing of the little altercation in the kitchen." Chris flushed darkly while he was thinking that it had been a really bad plan to shove his father.

Leo then said, "There are consequences from these actions, Christopher."

Chris looked up wide eyed at his father. He knew what that meant in Wyatt speak, but what did it mean with Leo? "You can't spank me!" Chris blurted out without thinking. And wow was that not what he meant to say. 'Talk about giving the man ideas' he thought as he blushed.

Leo sat back and thought, 'that is an interesting statement' but out loud he said, "And why not?" Obviously it wouldn't be the boy's first spanking. With that reaction it seems that it would be the punishment for such an offense.

Chris raised his head and started to say, "Because I'm…" but realized that the 'I'm a grown up' wasn't going to fly anymore. Chris blushed and looked down before he gained his courage again. He looked Leo in the eye and said, "You aren't my father!" Why he said that he had no idea, of course Leo was his father. It was just that statement said to Wyatt was not only accurate but usually caused him to pause. Chris's eyes found the floor again thinking that it didn't usually cause Wyatt to pause for very long though.

Leo sat there with his mouth open for a second before walking swiftly across the room, grabbing Chris's arm and pulling him down over his knee as he sat down on the bed. "I most certainly am your father," Leo began as he raised his hand and smacked Chris hard on the center of his butt.

Chris cried out, "You don't know me." And again, while it was the truth it was probably not the thing to say to the man that just put you over his knee. Chris jerked and kicked but Leo held him steady.

Leo continued with the spanking while saying, "Well I guess that's about to change, isn't it." Leo didn't say anymore but in his head he was reliving the horror at finding out that his 'adult' son was actually only fourteen years old and that he had been going off on tangents in the underworld by himself. He remembered the defensive position that Chris had been in, with his arms covering his head as if something was attacking him. He was getting into a rhythm making sure he covered every inch of the jean clad butt.

Chris was still struggling and trying to avoid the swats raining down on him. "Noooo," He cried out, "You can't do this." The pants offered little protection and his ass was already starting to burn.

Leo didn't pause only saying, "It appears that I can."

Tears sprung to Chris's eyes. Not only did this really hurt but it reminded him so much of his brother and the last spanking he had received.

Suddenly both father and son were shocked to see the blue and white lights of an orb coalescing in the room. Little Wyatt appeared in front of them. Leo stopped the spanking and Chris jumped up.

A few stunned moments later Piper came rushing into the room saying to Wyatt, "There you are!" Then she looked from Wyatt to Leo and Chris she said, "We were in the kitchen and he just started crying. Nothing I could do would console him then all of a sudden he orbed here."

Chris backed up blushing. Not only did little Wyatt orb in during his sp- punishment but he hadn't yet explained the whole bond thing to them yet.

Piper saw the guilty look on Chris's face and the backing up didn't escape her notice either, "Chris? Is there something else you need to tell us?"

Leo turned abruptly to face Chris also.

Chris looked from his mother to his father and back to his mother again before saying, "Well, we kinda have a bond." And he looked down to Wyatt who was staring up at his brother and father with a look of curious wonder. Chris gave the boy a small smile.

Wyatt said, "Cwiss," and he orbed into his brother's arms. Chris caught him in time to stop him from falling. This was just so hard to get used to. His 'big' brother was still a baby. He looked back up to see both his parents staring at him and he said, "I guess I have a lot to explain, don't I? Maybe we should go down to the kitchen. He's getting hungry." He finished by lifting Wyatt a little higher demonstrating who he was talking about.

Piper gave him a look and Chris said, "And I'm getting hungry?" Hoping that maybe they could leave the bedroom and the punishment behind them.

Leo looked at Piper then over to Chris and asked, "Do we need to continue our discussion here?"

Chris quickly said, "No Sir, I get it." He nodded with his head towards Piper, "She's Mom," then looked at Leo, "You're Dad. And I'm…" then looked down and mumbled, "I'm grounded."

Leo quirked a small smile at the repetition of what he had said early. He stood and said, "Good. I don't want to have to repeat that discussion any time soon." He heard Chris let out a breath of relief before he finished the statement with, "But I will if I have to. Understood?"

Chris looked up into his father's penetrating stare as he said, "Yes sir." Chris slowly edged out of the room feeling pretty secure that he wouldn't get another swat with Wyatt in his arms and headed down the stairs.

Leo looked over at Piper questioningly and mouthed the word 'sir'? Piper shrugged her shoulders trying but failing to hold back her smile. Neither of them had seen themselves teaching their children to call them sir or ma'am but it seemed that Chris had learned it somewhere. The two parents followed their children down to the kitchen.

**/ CHARMED / ****CHARMED / ****CHARMED /**

Chris looked over at his parents nervously. He didn't know why he hadn't explained their bond in the first place. Maybe he just wanted to keep some things to himself. Maybe he didn't actually want them to know about it. Maybe he didn't want them to know how little he knew about. He blew out a breath and said, "Well, we have a bond, kinda like the power of three but stronger."

Piper gave him a dubious look. She didn't think anything could be stronger than her and her sister's bond. She was willing to hear the boy out though so she didn't say anything.

Chris saw the look but didn't pause, "See in my time, we can feel each other's feelings and find each other. Some time when we were little though, Wyatt learned to dampen the bond. I didn't understand how much until I came back and undid the spell…"

Leo interrupted, "Undid what spell?"

Chris took in another deep breath and said, "Uh, when I was trying to hide from Wyatt, I, uh, learned how to hide from him completely. I was afraid he would sense me so I made up a spell to block the bond. You remember, one of the two I showed you before we blocked the Elders."

Piper thought back and remembered the two spells that were virtually the same thing to hide Chris from Wyatt when he went to find his mother. "So," Piper began, "Let me get this straight. You and your brother have a bond that enables you to sense each other's moods and locations."

Chris nodded.

Piper continued, "Some time when you were growing up Wyatt was able to dampen the bond?"

"Yes," Chris said, "I didn't realize how much until I came back here and felt the bond with little Wyatt."

Undeterred, Piper continued along her line of thinking, "When you needed to meet the future me, you cast a spell to block the bond completely. And then you undid the spell when you arrived back in time?"

"Well, actually I undid it right before I saw little Wyatt for the first time. That is probably why he orbed to me; he can sense the bond too," Chris explained. Then he paused; his mind going back over the times his little 'big' brother orbed to him. "Actually, every time I wished to have Wy here or thought about him, little Wyatt has orbed to me. I wonder how strong the bond would be if Wy hadn't intervened all those years ago."

The family thought about the bond and the implications of it. How it could help them now and how strong it would be in the future. Before anyone could say something on the subject they heard Phoebe coming down the stairs.

"Good morning," she yawned, "Wow you guys are up early. She hadn't actually looked at the family that was gathered around the table. She was busy fixing herself a cup of coffee. The early hour even prevented her from noticing the unnatural quiet that permeated the kitchen.

Phoebe sat down at the table while taking a sip of her coffee and nearly spewed it back out over the table as she looked over at her nephew. "Oh my God! What happened to you? Was it a demon… a spell… some kind of attack?" she asked rapid fire.

Piper raised a hand to stop the flow of questions. "I believe your nephew has something to tell you," Piper said and glared at Chris.

Chris gave her his best puppy dog eyes, silently begging to be let off the hook.

Leo saw the look and sternly said, "We have rules around here, Christopher. No lying is one of them. Now explain to your aunt what happened." He knew he was being tough on the boy but he was aware that what he did right now would be setting the tone to their relationship. He was no longer going to stand by and let his son walk all over him. Chris was still a child, HIS child and starting right now he was going to start behaving as his father.

When Leo began to speak Chris looked over at him. When the words 'no lying' came up his gaze shifted to the table in front of him. There was an extended pause. Chris couldn't find the words to explain to his Aunt Phoebe why her twenty year old nephew was now looking so young. Never in his life had he wished that he could orb more than he did right at this moment.

Leo only allowed the pause to last a moment before he said, "Would you rather go back upstairs with me and finish our discussion of the rules?" Leo held his breath hoping that the boy would do what he was asked. He had no desire to spank the boy again, but he knew he would if he had to.

When Leo said the word 'upstairs', Chris's looked up, wide eyed. As the question was finished he minutely shook his head no as he whispered, "No sir."

Phoebe watched the exchange with fascination. The last time she saw her nephew he was a young adult and her brother-in-law was falling over himself trying to get the boy to like him. Now Chris was sitting looking like a young teen and Leo was acting like a very stern disciplinarian.

Leo raised his eyebrows at Chris and gave a slight tilt of his head towards Phoebe.

Chris sighed and looked at his aunt, and then to the table as he said, "I'm only fourteen."

Phoebe's mouth dropped as she tried to wrap her head around this information. The behavior in front of her supported the new evidence.

Leo then prompted, "And?"

Chris shot him a dirty look. Leo cleared his throat and raised both eyebrows to the boy. Chris quickly looked back down at the table in defeat as he whispered, "And I'm grounded." Chris thought that this really sucked! He knew showing up as a fourteen year old would be a bad idea and now Leo was going all parental on him – uh, he means 'Dad' was going all parental. He didn't want to 'discuss' the name thing again!

"Morning," They heard Paige as she came into the room. She walked straight to the counter and helped herself to a cup of coffee.

Chris groaned he knew he was going to have to explain his age again.

As Paige sat down she glanced up and nearly fell off her chair.

Before she could even ask Chris said, "I'm only fourteen and I'm grounded. He looked up to Leo and asked, "May I be excused now?" This was embarrassing enough, he would really rather be grounded in his room.

Leo thought about the request for a moment before acquiescing. He knew Piper would want to talk with her sisters about this and probably didn't want Chris around to hear it.

Chris walked quickly out of the room before Leo could change his mind. He went to his bedroom and threw himself on the bed. He was laying on his stomach because, man, did Le- Dad have a hard hand! He worried that he wouldn't be able to complete his mission now that the family was going to treat him like he was a child. He bit his lip as he thought that this is exactly what Wy would have done too. Punishing him and making him fess up to it! How could he be so much like Le- Dad if he wasn't raised by him? Just thinking about his big brother made him miss home. He really missed his brother.

Suddenly blue and white lights lit up the room and coalesced into the form of his little 'big' brother.

Downstairs Piper was explaining the letter that had appeared during the night. She had just started to explain the boys' unique bond when Wyatt orbed out of the room. Piper jumped up, panicked but then she heard the voice of her youngest child.

"I've got him," Chris called out to his mother as he heard a chair scrape across the ground, tipping over and crashing. He figured his mom would worry where the little tyke had orbed off to. Chris shook his head, again wondering how strong their bond would have been if Wyatt had never messed with it.

**TBC**


	23. Conception

_**A/N: This is an AU so I am using my creative license to fool around with the timeline a bit. Just go with the flow :) Also this has spoilers from "The Courtship of Wyatt's Father" with lines taken directly from the episode. I tweaked it a bit to follow our story…**_

**Chapter 23**

**Conception**

Things had been going well for the family since the letters that future Piper sent alerting them to the fact that Chris was only fourteen years old. Piper had put an end to all of Chris's solitary demon hunting. Chris had no problems following the rules now that he knew Leo would follow through on the consequences. He was no longer grounded and Leo had given him back his ability to orb.

Chris's previous behaviors suddenly made so much more sense. It was astonishing to understand why the boy was acting his 'age' of 22 some of the time but at other instances he seemed so much less mature. Piper and Leo shook their heads at what they missed all along. How did they not see that Chris had glamoured himself to appear older? What had Piper said once about the behavior of their future counterparts? That they were willfully blind? Apparently that trait was something she seemed to have in common with her future counterpart. They had missed all the signs.

As much as things were going well for the family, it was not working out for Leo trying to maintain a functioning family life and continue with his role as an Elder. The other Elders had been trying to convince Leo that he belonged up there with them but Leo felt he needed to be with his family.

Piper and he had decided that it would be safest for Chris if Leo remained an Elder while Chris was still back in time. It would also enable Leo to keep a closer eye on the other Elders. Leo thought he was doing an okay job trying to satisfy both sides but he had been trying to come up with a more permanent solution. He knew he couldn't stay down here as an Elder but he refused to leave his family.

Leo decided to stop worrying for a little while and enjoy his family. Besides this was an important day. Today was Wyatt's second birthday and they had planned quite the party.

Chris stayed hidden is his room. Not only did a party for a two year old not sound like much fun; he was also afraid he might accidentally call Piper 'Mom' in front of the other guests. He was surprised at how easy it had been to call Piper 'Mom' in either time line. Calling Leo, 'Dad' had taken a little persuasion from Leo, and Chris really didn't want to get a refresher course on what to call the man. One 'discussion' had been enough to convince Chris that his father would prefer not to be called by his Christian name.

Chris was getting out of the shower when he heard the party wrapping up downstairs and he thought he would wait just a few more minutes before joining the family. He was drying off and getting dressed when he heard several explosions downstairs. He quickly threw on his shirt and jeans before racing, barefoot down the stairs.

"It's ok, Buddy, I've got you," Leo said while picking up Wyatt.

Chris surveyed the damage before asking, "What happened?"

Piper had walked over to check on Wyatt when she saw Chris. "Wait, stop right there, you could get hurt," she said as she saw that he didn't have any shoes on. There were wooden shards all over the staircase.

Chris rolled his eyes and said, "Mom, I'm fine. What happened?"

"Darklighter attacked. I'm not sure if he was after me or your brother," Leo explained. "I need you to take him up to Magic School so that both of you are safe."

"What? No, Dad! I need to be here to protect him and get whatever is after him. This is the reason I came back. I can take care of myself," Chris shouted only losing his fury after stepping on a splinter. He sucked in a deep breath and valiantly tried to hide the fact that he had stopped and was only standing on one foot.

Leo was about to take a step forward and do something about his son's attitude but Piper gently grabbed his arm to stop him.

Piper noticed the pained expression across Chris's face but decided against calling him on it. She needed him to get to a safe location and pointing out his weaknesses wouldn't do that. "Chris, I need you to protect Wyatt. You are the only one that can keep an eye on Gideon without being seen. Orb upstairs, get your shoes on and take care of your brother for me, please."

Chris wanted to argue but his foot was hurting and his mom did have a point. He wouldn't be seen by any Elders. Besides, he didn't really want to see what his dad would do to Chris for yelling at him like he had just done. He sighed and replied, "Yes ma'am," before he orbed up to his bathroom to take care of the splinter.

Piper finished walking over to Leo and said, "Will you get Wyatt changed and packed for Magic School for me?"

Leo chastely kissed his wife and whispered, "That was amazing the way you convinced him to protect Wyatt."

Piper gave him a smile and watched as he orbed away. She then looked to Phoebe and Paige asking, "Can you two come up with a spell to make sure no one else at Magic School can see him. It won't help that he is protected from being seen or sensed from Elders if one of the teachers talks with him."

"Right, good plan," Phoebe said and the two younger sisters walked off to prepare a spell.

Piper looked around the destroyed entryway and decided that it wasn't personal gain to magically clean the area up. And if it cleaned up after the party too, well then who was going to know? First she walked over and mopped up a bit of the darklighter's blood so they could scry for him. Then she quietly said the spell that took care of the mess magically and watched with a smile as the two rooms mended themselves.

Leo came down with Wyatt at the same time Chris orbed from his room. Piper gave a small frown at the scowl that Chris shot Leo's way but again let it slide. She had to make sure her children were safe and if Chris thought he was protecting Wyatt he would do it. If he even got a whiff of Piper trying to coddle him he would fight them the whole way.

"OK, we're ready," Phoebe informed them.

Chris's eyes shot over to his aunt, "Ready for what?"

Piper saw her son's defenses going up and decided to put a halt to them, "I asked them to write a spell so that no one could see you up at Magic School, that way you can stay hidden."

"Oh," Chris said quietly and waited while Paige lifted the note containing the spell.

Paige looked up and said, "It's a version of the Elder cloak, it's the best I can do under such time constraints." She then looked over at Chris and recited the spell:

Cloak this witch through family ties

From all other prying eyes

White and gold lights surrounded Chris for a moment then dissipated.

"Alright then, Leo, take Chris and Wyatt up there and make sure that no one can see Chris," Piper told Leo.

She then looked over at Chris to say, "You keep an eye on him and protect him from Gideon."

Chris sighed he really would rather go and hunt down the darklighter than babysit his older brother. And wasn't that weird to say! Instead he softly said again, "Yes ma'am," then he allowed his father to orb him and his brother to Magic School.

After his father left Wyatt and him in the nursery, Chris noticed that he was beginning to feel odd. He hoped that he wasn't affected by any of that darklighter poison when he got that splinter in his foot.

The three sisters got busy scrying for the darklighter and had found him by the time Leo returned. They drove Piper's car to the location and got out walking toward an empty alley.

Piper looked around and asked, "You sure this is the place?" Something didn't feel right; she looked around at the street and back down the alley, "This could be a trap."

"Well, we have to protect Wyatt," Leo said, ending all discussion.

The quartet walked into the alley, Paige and Phoebe a few paces ahead of Leo and Piper. Piper saw a darklighter on the rooftop and blew him up only to have two more take his place.

Paige orbed herself and Phoebe up to the rooftop and they threw their potions at them vanquishing them both. The same darklighter that appeared in the manor hit Phoebe with the crossbow knocking her off the building and onto a dumpster below.

Before anyone could react the darklighter appeared in front of Piper and Leo. Piper raised her hands and blew him up causing a huge explosion. When the flames cleared Piper, Leo and the darklighter were all gone.

"Piper," Paige cried out to the now empty space where her oldest sister once stood. She orbed down to Phoebe and helped her up. "Oh, you're bleeding," she told Phoebe, "We need to get you to the hospital."

Paige helped Phoebe to the car and drove away.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Suddenly the street is completely deserted. No cars, no people, only empty buildings and the world was oddly lacking the vibrant colors that it normally had. Piper and Leo walk out of the alley.

Piper looks around and calls out, "Phoebe? Paige? Where's my car? What's going on? Where'd everybody go?"

Leo looked behind them and said, "I think we should get out of here. Something's not right."

Piper was still walking forward with Leo trailing slightly behind. "No, not without Phoebe, she's hurt," Piper says in a no nonsense tone, "Didn't you see her fall?"

"But Piper, you don't understand," Leo says urgently, "We can't worry about them right now. We need to worry about us."

"The hospital," Piper says suddenly, ignoring Leo, "If Paige couldn't get to you; she'd take Phoebe to the hospital. Memorial's just down the street."

The same darklighter that attacked them at the manor walks out of the alley.

"Piper," the darklighter says, "You're not supposed to be here."

"Yeah," Piper says, "Well, you're not supposed to be here either; at least not in one piece." Piper raises her hands and tries to blow him up but her powers don't work. She looks over at Leo.

"Come on," Leo says as he grabs her arm and tries to orb out but can't.

Piper asks, "What's wrong with our powers?"

The darklighter walks closer and loads his crossbow.

"I don't know," Leo yells, "Run. Go, go, go."

Piper and Leo run off. They head towards the hospital trying to lose the darklighter.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Paige is standing in the hospital's hallway as Phoebe comes walking up with a bandage on the back of her neck.

"I'm fine, they are letting me go," Phoebe tells her younger sister even though the doctor had wanted her to stay overnight. She tugs Paige's arm saying, "Come on, we gotta get outta here…" She pauses as she hears her name being called. "Did you hear that? I think I just hear my name."

Paige didn't hear anything but both sisters stopped to listen. While they were standing there a doctor was working on a man that had just flat lined. The sisters stood witness to the doctor trying to restart the man's heart.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Piper and Leo were standing in the deserted hospital when suddenly a man appeared. Piper called out to her husband, "Leo, who's he?"

The man said, "Leo? You must be an angel," before the man vanished.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

The doctor was able to restart the man's heart. Phoebe and Paige watched as the man took in a deep breath and said, "Leo, you must be an angel."

The sisters looked at each other before quickly leaving the building and orbing home.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Leo said, "I know where we are. We are on the ghostly plane. A darklighter doesn't have the power to put us here."

The two looked at each other then said at the same time, "Gideon!"

"Oh no, Chris and Wyatt are at Magic School right now!" Piper said, "We have to get out of here."

Leo was nodding in agreement with his wife when he suddenly paused and said, "Oh, God, Chris…"

Piper looked back at him with a questioning gaze. "What? Is something wrong?" she asked him.

"Today is Wyatt's birthday," Leo said in way of explanation.

"I know, Leo, I was there…" Piper began and then suddenly said, "The letter… Chris needs to be conceived today!"

Leo nodded gravely and said, "Let's get back to the manor."

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Chris was sitting in a darkened room of the nursery. Wyatt had just fallen asleep and Chris was finally taking the time to have a pity party. The odd feeling he had earlier went from strange to downright scary. He felt like he was floating and he noticed that his hands had become transparent. He realized what was going on. His mother wasn't pregnant with him. He tried to orb to warn his family but his powers weren't working. Tears filled his eyes as he realized that he had changed history enough to stop him from being born. He hung his head. He was fighting his emotions. If he was going to die then he was going out with dignity. He roughly wiped the tears off his cheeks. He closed his eyes for a moment…

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Phoebe and Paige arrived at Magic School. Paige told Phoebe, "Let's go and find Chris first. Then I'll go make sure Gideon is distracted, you go and find anything you can on portals."

The sisters made their way to the nursery and saw Wyatt sleeping in a crib with Chris sitting over in a darkened corner. Paige called out quietly, "Chris…"

Chris's head jerked up and he all but ran over to the sisters.

What the sisters saw had them both drop their jaws. Chris was completely transparent.

Phoebe asked, "What happened?" as she noticed the red rims around Chris's eyes, a definite indicator that the boy had been crying.

Chris bit back the sob he wanted to let out as he replied, "I think I'm ceasing to exist. I couldn't even orb to get help." He looked behind the sisters and asked, "Where are Mom and Dad?"

Paige took in a deep breath before saying, "Uh, that's the problem. We think they are stuck on a different plane of existence. We need your help trying to find a way to get them back." She wanted to reach out and hug her nephew instead she whispered to him, "Don't worry, we still have time." And she crossed her fingers hoping she wasn't lying to the boy.

Chris took a deep breath; there was nothing more he could do. Either he was going to be conceived or not. The only thing he should be focusing on was how to get his parents back to this plane. Maybe they still had time, maybe not but either way Wyatt was going to need both his parents… Especially if Chris wasn't going to be there. He pushed that thought aside and got back to business.

Phoebe and Chris left the room to find information on portals while Paige went to make sure Gideon didn't stumble across them. Fortunately for Paige the Elder was in his office working.

Phoebe and Chris entered the empty library and quickly got to work. It didn't take long for Phoebe to find the section on portals. When she found a book on opening them she turned to tell Chris but he had disappeared. She held her breath for a moment before deciding that the best thing they could do would be to make sure they got his parents back; praying with everything she had that it wasn't too late…

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Piper and Leo were laying in their bed in the manor when Leo shot up saying, "A portal!"

Piper sat up and said, "What?"

Leo started to pull his pants on as he explained, "It must be a portal that got us here. We have to get back to that alley."

Piper followed his lead of getting dressed as she asked, "But how will they know?"

"We will just have to trust that they will figure it out," Leo told her.

Leo and Piper arrived at the alley and looked around but nothing had changed. Suddenly the darklighter came around the corner saying, "I knew you would come back here! Now I can finish my mission." He raised his crossbow and aimed it towards Leo.

Leo put his hand up and said, "Let her go, it's me you want."

The darklighter said, "True, but this is just too great of an opportunity. It is my nature to destroy good."

"Then why are you working with an Elder?" Leo asked him.

The darklighter dropped the crossbow slightly as he was shocked by the question, "How did you know…" he began but the sounds of the street flooded through them. Suddenly the world was bright, colorful and full of noise again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Paige called out to the darklighter, "Because this time I'll vanquish you for real."

Piper smiled and said, "Well, it's about time."

Before anything else could be said the darklighter was struck with an arrow and he exploded. The sisters and Leo looked up to where the arrow came from and watched as another darklighter dark orbed away.

Piper looked over at Leo and said, "Well that was odd."

Leo nodded, "Yeah but he all but gave us confirmation that the attack was a set up."

Paige and Phoebe opened their mouths to ask what they were talking about but Piper saw them and said, "Later, let's get the boys and head back to the manor."

Phoebe and Paige exchanged looks and Phoebe said, "Let's go to the manor first." And the two orbed away before Leo or Piper could ask any questions.

When Piper and Leo arrived at the manor, Piper looked over at her sisters and said, "Spill."

The younger two exchanged looks again, silently trying to figure out who was going to tell Piper that her youngest had ceased to exist.

Finally Phoebe looked back over at the oldest sister and said, "Chris…"

Before she could get any further suddenly Chris appeared in front of them. He looked around, raised his arms up in victory and yelled, "Yes! I'm back!"

Piper looked from Chris to her sisters and then back to Chris again before asking, "Where did you go?"

"I'm not sure. One minute I was transparent…" Chris began.

Piper interjected, "WHAT?"

Chris looked over to his aunts and Paige explained, "He was ceasing to exist. He needed to be conceived…"

Chris flushed and started to back out of the room saying, "Uh, I don't need to hear any more. I'm back, all… conceived… and all. Umm, Dad, can you give me a lift to get Wyatt? I don't want him at Magic School by himself."

Leo quickly walked over to his son and orbed them out of the room. He had no desire to discuss what had happened on the ghostly plane with his sisters-in-law any more than Chris did.

He orbed them directly to the nursery where Wyatt was still sleeping. They both looked over the little boy for a moment before Chris worked up his nerve to talk to Leo.

"Uh, Dad?" he began and then paused.

Leo smiled as he asked, "Yes, Son?"

"I was uh, thinking about how you can remain an Elder and still come home," Chris started.

Leo's attention turned fully to Chris as Chris continued, "See, I've been thinking about it. I know you and Mom decided for you to stay an Elder to protect me."

Leo nodded.

Chris continued, "And I also know that the other Elders are giving you a hard time. So I have been wracking my brain trying to think of a way for you to be able to do both and while I was sitting here with Wyatt it came to me." Chris paused, suddenly unsure if he wanted to tell his dad what he had come up with.

Leo pushed a little, "And?"

Chris gave him a small smile and turned towards Wyatt so he didn't have to look his father in the eye as he said, "What if you worked here, at Magic School? I know that Gideon won't like it but he hasn't replaced his assistant Sigmund that died during the Titan attack. This way you can keep an eye on Gideon and still come home every night."

Leo smiled as he listened to the logic behind his son's idea. Just the thought that the boy was trying to find a way to allow Leo to be at home warmed his heart. But beyond that, it was a really good idea! Leo didn't hold back he reached out and pulled his son into a hug and kissed the top of his head. "That sounds like the best plan I've heard in a long time," he said.

Chris surprised himself with the feelings of happiness that the simple words of praise gave him. He reached up and hugged his father back, even relaxing into the embrace. The two stood like that for a moment when little Wyatt decided to make his presence known. Chris backed away a bit and looked up at his father who was smiling down to him.

"Let's get Wyatt home and tell your mom the plan," Leo told. He suddenly felt like everything was falling into place.

**TBC**

**A/N: Yes, poor Sigmund died during the Titan attack. Some things happened a bit differently in this timeline and I guess Sigmund was **_**up there**_** and unable to escape. Remember many of the Elders died during the attack, but not all. Some of those cowards, uh, I mean Elders escaped. Unfortunately Gideon was one of the lucky ones. **


	24. Imposters

**A/N: This chapter has spoilers for "****The Power of Three Blondes****" and has lines taken directly from the episode. Again, this is AU so the story is being told out of order and in a different manner than the original episodes. I only follow what the muse dictates. Thank you for your understanding.**

**Chapter 24**

**Imposters**

Chris and Leo returned to the manor after retrieving Wyatt from Magic School. Piper ran over and held Chris in a crushing hug. She had couldn't believe they almost caused him to cease to exist! They were going to have to watch that boy much more carefully. She could not imagine a life without him in it now. She unconsciously placed a protective hand over her stomach as she let go of the hug. Giving her son a smile she made a promise to herself to keep the boy safe; even if it meant safe from himself.

The family sat around the dining room table enjoying a meal created by Piper. Idle chatter filled the air. Finally Leo decided it was time to tell the sisters about Chris's plan. "We've been trying to figure out a way for me to stay an Elder but remain here on Earth. The other Elders have been trying to get me to stay up there. Piper and I both believe that Gideon was the one responsible for the darklighter being able to move us to the ghostly plane."

With that Paige and Phoebe glanced at each other. They hadn't considered how Piper and Leo were put into the other plane of existence. They had just been focusing on getting them back out.

Leo continued, "While Chris was up at Magic School he came up with a great idea." Leo then gestured to Chris for him to finish the story.

"Yeah, well," Chris started, "I was thinking of a way for Dad," he smiled over at Leo when he said the name, "To stay here but I couldn't think up anything. When Wy and I were up at Magic School I heard that Gideon's assistant, Sigmund, had died during the Titan attack. Sigmund was an Elder too. If they needed two Elders to run the school, why couldn't Dad be the other one?

"If he could get the other Elders to agree then he could work there during the day and still come home every night," Chris finished off and slowly looked around the room.

Piper was beaming. Not only was this a fabulous plan but it meant that the little 'talk' Chris and Leo had seemed to have worked. "That is a wonderful idea, Chris," she said and then looked to Leo, "Do you think you can get the other Elders to agree?"

Leo smiled and said, "I can only think of one that would oppose it and that would be Gideon. I do believe that I can get the other Elders on my side though since Chris is right about Sigmund; then there is no reason why there shouldn't be a second Elder there."

Phoebe nodded saying, "I think that idea is perfect, Chris."

Chris blushed at all of the unexpected praise as he got up to start clearing the table. Leo got up to help him and he ruffled Chris's hair as he passed him. The two began to do the dishes in silence before Chris finally voiced the last part of the plan, "Umm, Dad."

Leo looked over but when Chris didn't say any more he asked, "Yeah, Son?"

Chris pressed his lips together, took in a deep breath and said, "I was thinking, when you go up there that I should go with you."

Leo was ready to deny the boy outright but Chris pushed forward.

"Wait, hear me out. I can go and listen in on them and they won't be able to see me. That way if they have any concerns, you can address them," Chris had already thought this out. He had a bad feeling that his dad wouldn't let him go but he just had to make this work. He already liked the idea of having a family. He didn't want to be the reason that his parents had to split up. He knew that his dad was only staying an Elder to protect Chris. He put forth his best puppy dog eyes and said, "Please, Dad. I have to do this."

Leo wasn't sure if he should allow the boy to take that kind of risk but when he saw the look his youngest was giving him, he almost caved. "Let me talk with your mom and if she agrees then we will go together."

Chris reached out and hugged his father saying, "Thanks Dad." But he quickly dropped his hands feeling suddenly self-conscious.

Leo wasn't having that, he hugged the boy tighter. Now that he had his son in his life, he was going to do everything in his power to prove his love for the boy. Chris lifted his arms back around his father and relaxed into the hug after a moment. Leo kissed the top of Chris's head and whispered, "I love you, Son."

Chris heard the declaration but didn't respond. He wasn't sure he was ready to verbalize his feelings. Instead he squeezed a second longer, broke off the hug, then picked the towel back up and began to dry the dishes again.

The three sisters talked for a few more minutes before Paige announced that she needed to get some sleep since she started her new temp job tomorrow. Phoebe said she wanted to go out with Jason so she headed up to get ready. Piper took Wyatt up for a bath.

Later that night while in bed, Leo discussed Chris's desire to go _up there_ with him.

Piper was adamant, "No. I won't put him in danger!"

Leo smiled, "He won't be in danger. None of the Elders can see him. I think he's right, if they have any objections then he will hear them and we can be better prepared."

Piper laid her head down on Leo's chest and sighed, "Are you sure he won't be in any danger?"

Leo ran his fingers through his wife's hair as he said, "I promise, Piper. I don't want him in danger either, he's my son too." He smiled as he said those words.

Chris silently crept back to his room after eavesdropping in on his parent's conversation. He went to bed with a smile on his face and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

That morning Leo orbed him and Chris up to Elderland to discuss the possibility of Leo working at Magic School. Chris did as he planned, skulking around listening in on the other conversations.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Elsewhere there were three blonde witches, the Stillman sisters; Mabel, Mitzy, and Margo. They even had a small entry in the Book of Shadows: _"Common witches known for their small time hustles and cons. Not worth vanquishing. If they become a nuisance, try a simple spell to bind their magic."_

These three siblings decided to take on the daunting task of ridding the world of the Charmed Ones by stealing the Book of Shadows. Their first attempt failed; they were unable to take the book. The Book sensed that they were evil and flew away from them, landing on the floor.

This didn't stop the sisters, though, they had a plan. They would get all three of the Charmed sisters together and cast a spell to make the world think that the Stillman sisters were the actual Charmed ones; making everyone believe the blonde sisters were Piper, Phoebe and Paige. Once they did that all they would need to do is get the brunette sisters out of the house and read the spell to take the Charmed Ones powers.

Currently the Stillman sisters were in a house across the street from the manor. They had just killed the owner; leaving him on the floor with a knife sticking out of him.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Back at the manor Piper noticed that the Book of Shadows was on the floor. She made a mental note to herself to ask her sisters and Chris if they had left it there before going to the club.

Paige had a busy day at the fruit packing plant. She had never worked so hard for such little pay but what really amazed her were the two blue little gremlins that were causing havoc around the place. She decided she would head home and discuss with her sisters what to do next.

Phoebe was having a meeting with Jason and finding it harder and harder to resist reacting to her feelings for the man (or more to the point, his feelings for her). She decided to go home and discuss with her sisters a way to try to control her new empathy power.

Leo felt he was really getting through to the other Elders. He had quite a few allies and Chris was feeding him information to get the others on his side. There was a lull in conversation when he heard the sisters calling for him. Chris heard the calls too and he reassured his dad that he would handle whatever the problem was. Before Leo could come up with an objection Chris had ran off to a hidden room and orbed away.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Chris rematerialized in front of three blonde women. Although the trio knew that they were the Stillman sister; to Chris the three blonde women he was standing in front of he immediately recognized as his mother and two aunts.

"What's going on?" he asked who he thought was his mother.

The youngest blonde sister sidled up to him and lovingly put his arm around Chris as she said, "Aren't you a little young to be our whitelighter?" And she proceeded to rub her arm up and down his.

To say that Chris was shocked would be an understatement! The woman he saw as his Aunt Paige was hitting on him!

The blonde middle sister reached out and ran a hand through his hair and said, "Yeah, but he is kinda cute… Besides he could be much older then he appears, couldn't you handsome?"

Chris backed up, something was wrong, now who he saw as his Aunt Phoebe was hitting on him, too! Obviously the sisters were under some kind of spell. He needed to play along until he could get to the Book or to his father.

"What are you doing over here?" he asked.

The oldest of the blonde witches glanced down at a man on the floor with a knife sticking out of him. She pulled the knife out and said, "We came over to solve a murder. We think this may lead us to the witches that caused it. We think it came from the spirit realm."

Chris looked down at the knife then up at the woman he saw as his mother and said, "You want me to go to the spirit realm?"

"Of course, it could be too dangerous for us to go," the woman Chris saw as Piper said.

If Chris wasn't sure before, now he was positive something was wrong with the sisters. This wasn't just a spell, that woman was NOT his mother. He reached his hand out and took the knife and called upon his best acting ability as he said, "Of course I can check this out. Far better for me to place myself in danger than to risk the Charmed Ones." His smile exuded confidence that he did not feel. He found himself waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it didn't. Instead he heard his 'mother' speak.

"Exactly. You are so brave. Now run along and find out everything you can," the woman Chris saw as Piper said.

He gave a self-assured smile and orbed out of the room. He needed to figure this out and fast.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

The three Halliwell sisters met up at the manor while Piper was making lunch. As they ate they each discussed their problems. They were completely oblivious to the danger that Chris had just faced. To them they were the Charmed Ones; three magical sisters. To the rest of the world the blondes that Chris had just left were the 'real' Charmed Ones. All that those blonde imposters needed was for the Halliwell sisters to leave the house so they could read a magic spell from the Book of Shadows. That spell would let them steal the power from the Charmed Ones and make them the new Power of Three.

The brunette trio ate lunch in ignorance.

"I don't understand why every temp job I get has to have some kind of magical reason! I mean really! Do I HAVE to be surrounded by magic?" Paige lamented.

"Why don't you just make up a vanquishing potion for the gremlins?" Phoebe said offhandedly and then whined, "The real problem is Jason! Every time I'm near him I can't keep my hands off him!"

"Maybe you should take him somewhere a bit more public, like a restaurant or something," Piper suggested. When she finished her statement the phone rang. She answered, and then suddenly stammered out, "No! I didn't fire them! I need them to play tonight. Ok, ok, I'll be right there."

"That was the club," Piper explained, "The band just quit, I need to go and fix this."

"Go, go, Phoebe will help me make the potion," Paige offered then smiled at her middle sister.

Phoebe rolled her eyes but agreed. The two sisters were working on the gremlin vanquishing potion when both their cell phones rang.

Phoebe was explaining how she didn't send in a different column that advocated alcoholism.

While Paige was explaining that she wasn't starting a strike at the fruit packing place.

They each turned to the other as they got off the phone saying they had an emergency at work. Paige went to put the Book away but it flashed with light and darted away from her, hiding itself under a chair. She shrugged her shoulders and looked at her sister. They both decided that was something best left until they returned home and they quickly left the manor.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

The Stillman sisters let themselves into the manor. "Find the Book of Shadows," the eldest sister commanded.

Their plan hinged on getting the "To Call the Power of a Witch" spell. Currently, to the rest of the world they were the Charmed Ones but if they couldn't use the sisters' powers then eventually the magical community would figure out that they weren't really the Charmed Ones.

As the trio searched for the Book the youngest two argued about the powers. "I want to be able to travel just by thinking about it," the middle sister exclaimed.

"Um, as the baby in the family, I'm afraid I'll be doing the orbing. We get our powers by sorority," the youngest of the sisters, Margo explained.

"That's seniority, Margo," the middle sister, Mitzy stated, "And that's not fair, I wanted Paige's power!"

"Don't talk to me about fair. I always got less growing up," Margo pouted, "And usually two years out of style."

"There is nothing wrong with Phoebe's powers, Mitzy. You'll be able to levitate," Mabel, the eldest of the witches said offhandedly.

"Yeah," Mitzy complained, "Six feet in the air. Margo will be orbing around the world."

"I'll send postcards," Margo taunted brightly.

"Don't forget you'll also have the power of premonition and empathy,"Mabel said trying to placate Mitzy.

"Like I care what happens to people or how they feel," Mitzy grumbled.

"Well, maybe you should care, Mitzy," Margo droned, "Instead of this me, me, me attitude all the time."

"Oh, you know what?" Mitzy yelled, "You're about to get your teeth knocked in if you don't back off."

"Enough!" Mabel shouted, "What is wrong with you two? We have worked way too hard to let it all fall apart now." Just at that moment she spotted something peeking out from under the chair. She walked over and very carefully picked up the book; pleased that it didn't leap away from her touch.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Each of the three sisters, Piper, Phoebe and Paige were thrown out of their respective places of employment. None of the three could figure out why no one recognized them. Nothing was making sense. Each decided that the best bet would be to regroup at home and see if the other siblings had an idea about what was going on.

Piper, Phoebe and Paige arrived at the manor at the same time and proceeded to enter through the front door. They were shocked to find the three blond siblings standing in their living room.

Mabel had been quickly leafing through the book and found the spell she was hunting for just as the Halliwell sisters entered the manor. Mabel, Mitzy and Margo began to chant:

"Powers of the witches rise..."

Piper exclaimed, "Hey, hey." As she tried to freeze them but she wasn't in time. Bright magical lights rise out of Piper, Phoebe and Paige.

Mabel, Mitzy, Margo continued chanting:

"Course unseen across the skies,

Come to us who call you near,

Come to us and settle here."

The bright magical lights sank into the blonde sisters.

Mabel smiled cruelly and said, "Let's see, what was that freaky little hand thing you did? Like this…" and she flicked her hand.

Behind Piper a vase blows up and Piper is pushed backwards. She looks at her bleeding leg. Piper cried out, "Ooh, I'm down."

Phoebe jumps up and kicks Mabel, sending her across the room. Phoebe then turns around to face Mitzy who has levitated in the air, kicking out at Phoebe and sends her flying over the couch.

Margo grabs the lamp and tries to hit Paige with it. Paige orbs out just before Margo whacks her. She orbs back in and yelled, "I can still orb."

Margo screeched, "Hey! That was supposed to be my power!"

Paige quickly orbs to Piper and Phoebe, places her hands on them and orbs them out as Mitzy yells, "Freeze them!"

"I don't know how," Mabel said dejectedly.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Paige and Phoebe helped Piper limp into a motel room. Phoebe dumps some first aid supplies down and begins to tend to Piper's leg.

"What are we going to do? We should call for Leo or Chris," Paige says as she paces the small room.

"They aren't going to hear us, we aren't their charges," Piper laments.

"What about the rest of the magical community?" Phoebe asks.

"Ow!" Piper exclaims before saying, "We aren't magical so we won't be able to see them."

Paige stops her pacing and says, "Maybe not you two, but I still have my whitelighter half. I can see those gremlins at the fruit packing place. If I could get word to them…"

"Go!" Piper says and Paige orbs out before anything else is said.

Paige orbs to the fruit packaging warehouse and is surprised that there are no humans around but figures it must be due to that stupid strike the blond bimbo started earlier.

She calls out to the gremlins, "Hey little blue guys…" She walks up and sees one of the gremlins and shows it her bag of vanquishing gel, "I need a little bit of help…"

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Chris just finished meeting with two blue gremlins, and that was an experience he never wanted to go through again. He had to meet up with his family back at the manor but after the knowledge he had already gathered at the Magic School library, he knew there was one more thing he needed to do. He decided to risk being in big trouble if he were wrong and he said:

"Let my family see what needs to be seen

Make me appear older than a teen."

The white and gold lights surrounded him and orbed back to the manor without checking to make sure the spell aged him back to the twenty year old he first appeared as.

Chris materialized in the manor in front of the blond sisters. He was still amazed that these women were not his aunts and mother! Sure he had only known his mother for a few months but he had known his aunts his entire life and these women LOOKED JUST LIKE them!

The middle sister, Mitzy saw Chris first and held onto his arm saying, "See! I told you he was older…"

The youngest sister was about to complain just as Piper, Phoebe and Paige walked into the manor. "Chris, I'm so glad you got the message," Paige said.

"Wait, who are you?" Chris asked the newly arrived trio.

"I'm Paige," Paige said and pointed at her sisters in turn, "And she's Phoebe and she's Piper…" she paused a moment before deciding not to announce the fact that Piper was Chris's mom. She didn't want to give the blond sisters any information that they didn't already have.

"Prove it," Mable taunted.

"Fine," Paige said and she tried to orb but wasn't able.

Margo whispered to her middle sister, "Nice antiorbing spell."

"Go ahead, Piper, blast away," Chris tells her.

Mabel tries to blow them up but misses and gets the window.

Phoebe points, "She missed, Chris, when have you ever known Piper to miss?"

Mabel shrugged, "Even I'm entitled to a bad day." She tries again but blows up a pot plant instead.

Piper sees Mabel's anger and says, "Oh, you know what? She's getting angry. And our powers don't work so good when we're angry."

Mitzy pretends not to be phased and says, "We've got them now."

Piper says, "Yeah, you've got us now so why don't you blow us up?"

"Piper," Phoebe says through clenched teeth, "Death bad, life good."

Paige sees what Piper is trying to do and says, "Don't worry; this bimbo couldn't hit the broadside of a beauty parlor. Check out that dye job."

The blonde sisters gasp in outrage.

Mabel yells, "How dare you!" and blows up the doors.

Piper shouts, "Run!"

Piper, Phoebe and Paige run into attic and frantically search for some weapons to defend themselves with. Phoebe runs over to a large chest and pulls out a crossbow. She then hands it to Piper; she grabs a spiked ball and hands it to Paige. Finally she takes a large axe for herself.

The three position themselves around the room. Piper crouches behind a couch and Phoebe and Paige stand on each side of the door. The blonde sisters walk in. "Now!" Piper yells.

Piper pulls the trigger on the bow and an arrow heads straight for Mabel. She puts her hands up in fear and she freezes Piper, Phoebe and Paige. She plucks the arrow out of the air. With a big smile on her face Mabel says, "Oh, so that's how it works."

Margo and Mitzy were still standing at the attic door under the weapons that Paige and Phoebe were holding. Margo asked, "Uh, could we like, not stand here right now?" and both sisters move out of the line of fire.

Mitzy asks, "Now what?"

Mabel gives a curt nod and says, "Now we kill them."

Suddenly blue and white lights coalesce into Chris as he orbs in. He walks over to Mitzy and says, "You did it. Nice work, babe." And he kisses her passionately.

"This is not fair!" Margo whined, "That Whitelighter belongs to me."

Mitzy grabs her head in her hands and cries, "Ow, my head. You know, you really need to learn to control your emotions. I can't help it if Chris chose me."

Margo squawked, "Did you sleep with him?"

Mitzy says, "No."

Just as Chris says, "Yes."

"You did what?" Mabel shouted, "I gave you a direct order; that Whitelighter was off limits."

"You know what?" Mitzy states, "I am sick and tired of your orders. We both are."

Margo stares at her middle sister and says, "Stay out of my feelings."

"Oh, are those your feelings?" Mabel asks.

"The hell yes those are my feelings," Margo says, "You boss us around like we're idiots."

Mitzy gets a vibe and stares at Mabel saying, "What?" She looks to Margo, jerks her thumb back to point at Mabel and says, "She thinks we are idiots."

Mabel doesn't even look guilty as she says, "I didn't say that."

Chris smiles, they were falling right into his trap, "Yeah, but I bet she felt it. My little empath feels everything."

"He's right. You despise us," Mitzy bawled.

Chris looks over at the Book and the triquetra on the front glows and the individual pieces of the symbol begin to shake.

"In fact, until I became an empath I never realized how much you truly hate us," Mitzy roared.

Chris takes Mitzy's arm and says, "You know what? Come on, baby, let's go, who needs them?" and he begins to lead her away.

Mabel shouted, "Oh, you're not going anywhere. We've got to stick together or our plan falls apart."

Margo pointed at her sister, "See? There you go, bossing again."

Mitzy nodded in agreement, "Mm-hm."

Margo flings her hair over her shoulder, "Just let the little chippy run off if that's what she wants."

Mitzy huffed, "Don't call me a chippy." And she shoves Margo.

Margo pushes Mitzy back as she shouts, "Don't push me!"

Mabel yells, "Just shut up!" and she pushes both sisters.

Suddenly the triquetra on the book splits apart and Piper, Phoebe and Paige unfreeze.

Chris gives a comical look at the brunette sisters and says, "You should be able to handle these women now."

Piper punches Mabel and Paige punches Margo as Phoebe walks over to Mitzy and knocks her down with a punch to the nose.

Paige asks Chris, "I take it this was all your doing?"

Chris smiles and raises his hands, "Hey, you're the one who got me here."

Piper holds back her smile, there was one more thing she had to know, "How did you know they weren't us?"

Chris smiled shyly, "You wanted me to research something in the spirit realm because you thought it was too dangerous for the Charmed ones to do. I realized that you would never send me somewhere alone that was unsafe."

Piper nodded and then questioned, "Wait, did you go there?"

Chris rolled his eyes and said, "Let's just reverse the magic." He opened the book and found the correct page. Turning the book towards the sisters and waited for them to recite the magical spell.

Piper, Phoebe, Paige chanted:

"Powers of the witches rise,

Course unseen across the skies,

Come to us who call you near,

Come to us and settle here."

White magical lights rise out of the blonde sisters and sink into Piper, Phoebe and Paige.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Leo and Wyatt were in the living room. Leo is playing with Wyatt on the floor. Piper stops at the doorway watching them for a moment before saying, "So we bound their powers and handed them over to Morris. There was enough evidence across the street to book 'em for murder and if that doesn't stick, they're wanted in eight other states."

"Well, that's good news. And I hear that being overprotective has its merits too," Leo says as he winks at his wife.

"Well, if I didn't protect him, he would always put himself in danger!" Piper stated as she thought of all the things Chris had done before they knew he was fourteen. Then she smiled as she let the subject drop. "So how did it go _up there_?" she asked.

"You are looking at the newest assistant head teacher at Magic School," Leo said as he rose to talk with his wife.

"Really?" She asked him.

He pulled her into a hug and said, "Yes, really! Chris's plan worked. The other Elders completely support me being at Magic School during the day and coming home every night. They realize that we are in a unique situation and the other children could only benefit from my experience as a father."

Piper held her husband tighter and said, "What about…"

Leo knew what she was asking and interrupted before she could finish, "Once all the other Elders spoke, Gideon decided his best bet would be to toe the party line. So that means that he 'supports' this too."

Piper snuggled into her husband's arms further. 'One less thing to worry about,' she decided. As she broke from the hug she saw Chris in the corner of her eye making his way up the stairs. She quietly mumbled the reversal spell to his aging glamour and smiled as she watched the white and gold lights dance around him. 'Yes,' she thought, 'One less thing to worry about…'

**TBC**


	25. Seth

_**A/N: **__**Again I am taking my creative license and jumping around season 6 as my muse directs. This Chapter has spoilers for "**__**Little Monsters**__**" and has lines taken directly from the episode. Special thanks to _**Itachi-nii, the reviewer that this chapter is dedicated to. **_**_

**Chapter 25  
>Seth<strong>

Chris was flipping through the Book pausing briefly on each page; he knew he was missing something. His mind was totally wrapped up in his task and he didn't hear the person, now behind him, enter the attic.

"Christopher Perry Halliwell!" he heard Wyatt yell out.

Chris froze. That wasn't baby Wyatt; that was big Wyatt. His very pissed off big brother from the future. Chris raised his head slowly from the Book but didn't turn around as he meekly answered, "Yes Sir."

"You are in so much trouble, Little Boy!" Wyatt yelled again. "Was I not specific enough? I thought I very clearly said THAT YOU WERE NOT TO SEE HER! Did you think that meant go ahead, travel to the past and stay? As a matter of fact, I don't remember giving you permission to travel to the past, DID I?" Wyatt varied between yelling and commanding.

Chris didn't answer and he was still frozen; he had not yet turned to face his brother.

"Well, Christopher?"

Chris slowly shook his head no.

"LOOK AT ME!" Wyatt shouted and Chris slowly turned; his eyes on the floor. Wyatt continued, "Did I give you permission to travel to the past?"

"Nuh… no sir," Chris stammered out.

Wyatt took three long strides and came up to Chris and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, "I cannot believe I had to travel to the past just to get you!" And he started to drag him to the now glowing triquatra on the attic wall.

Chris planted his feet and tried to resist but Wyatt was stronger and very determinedly pulled him forward. Chris struggled and pulled away in vain yelling, "No, Wy, wait. Something's wrong! Can't you see, something is wrong?"

Wyatt didn't pause as he said, "Oh, I see something wrong. You being here is wrong. You still having the ability to sit down is wrong. But you don't need to worry; I plan to fix both of those problems."

"Wy, please, don't," were the last words Chris was able to say before he was drug through the portal to the future.

Wyatt didn't let go of him when they exited the other side instead he continued to drag him towards the stairs. "After everything I have done to keep you safe you pull a stunt like this? I thought you understood the consequences of disobeying me. Apparently I was wrong," Wyatt said as he proceeded to haul him towards Chris's bedroom then shoved the boy into the room.

Chris sprawled forward onto his bed and scurried to sit up, "Wy, I had to!"

Wyatt had begun pacing and spun around as Chris spoke, "No you did not HAVE to! You left here when you were safe to go back to a time before you were even born! Do you realize you could have jeopardized your own birth?"

Chris scooted back on the bed as he defended himself, "But I didn't…"

At those words Wyatt raised an eyebrow and said, "Really? You didn't begin to cease to exist?"

Chris squirmed, how could Wyatt have known that? He didn't want to admit that little fact so instead he said, "But I'm fine… all… conceived… and all." He had trouble finding the words to convince Wyatt that he was safe in the past. He knew he needed to go back. Chris looked around the room trying hard to figure a way out. He tried to orb but he wasn't able to and there was no way he could out run his brother. He sucked in a deep breath to defend himself further.

Before Chris could get out another word Wyatt asked, "What about Seth?"

Chris let out his breath. He didn't understand. What had happened to Seth? Out loud he asked, "Seth?"

Suddenly the air before him shimmered and his best friend Seth appeared. Seth looked at Wyatt and then to Chris and asked, "What have you done?"

Chris opened his mouth but Wyatt spoke first, "Explain to him what you have been doing… Better yet, explain to him plan B-"

Chris screeched, "WHAT?" at the last two words Wyatt spoke.

Wyatt wasn't done though, "I thought the threat of plan B would be enough but apparently I have to follow through."

Chris was backing himself into the corner of his bed his face was flushed red with embarrassment and he looked between Seth and Wyatt before crying out, "Please, Wy, don't…"

Wyatt raised his hand and said, "Wooden spoon," and that awful paddle like wooden spoon appeared in his open palm. "Go ahead," Wyatt goaded, "Explain to Seth what happens to naughty boys that can't follow the rules."

Chris's eyes filled with tears, whether from fear or embarrassment he wasn't sure as he said, "Wy, please… You can't…"

"Oh I can, Little Brother, and I will. Every night for two weeks and then I am going to bind your powers," Wyatt taunted him.

Chris was begging, "Wy, please, no," and he had scrunched himself up into the corner of his bed as far back as he could go.

"I warned you, didn't I?" Wyatt asked.

Chris cried out, "Please don't,"

"DIDN'T I?" Wyatt roared.

"Ye- yes sir, buh… but please Wy, please don't," his eyes shot over to his best friend. He couldn't believe what was happening! Not only did his big brother drag him back home but he was threatening to enact plan B. And Chris did NOT forget plan B. The threat of getting a spanking every night for two weeks and having his powers bound was not something he was EVER going to forget. And if that wasn't bad enough, Wyatt was going to sp- punish him right in front of Seth!

As he continued to beg and Wyatt kept walking closer with that horrible instrument of torture, Chris heard a soft plea coming from Seth, "Chris…"

The room started to blur and the voice became less distinct, "Chris…"

Everything went black and Chris heard the soft baby voice of Wyatt saying, "Cwiss…"

Chris opened his eyes and looked directly into the blue orbs of his little 'big' brother. Chris shot up and looked around the room. Same room… different time. 'It was a dream,' Chris sighed in relief, 'It was all just a dream… well, nightmare!' This had been something that Chris had worried about in the back of his mind. Could Wyatt from the future sense that Chris was in the past because of their unique bond? He was afraid that Wyatt would come and snatch him back from the past and drag his butt to the future. He knew that if that happened, Wyatt would surely put plan B into effect! So far he had seemed pretty safe from the far reaching bond. Hopefully the space time continuum would continue to protect and hide him. He laughed at himself for the Star Trek reference as he felt his heartbeat slow back down to a normal level.

Chris took in one last deep breath and realized that little Wyatt had been pulling on his shirt sleeve trying to get his attention. "What is it big guy?" he asked the toddler.

Wyatt pointed towards the door and said, "Baby…" then the little boy orbed out of the room.

Chris scrunched up his eyes in confusion and he hopped up to get dressed. He ran his fingers through his hair to try to tame the wayward strands as he walked downstairs to the living room.

His mom and aunts were sitting around the pack and play that Wyatt had orbed himself to. Chris called out, "Hey, what's going on?"

"Well…" Piper began, "We went on a vanquish but the demon we were after was eaten by another demon. So we vanquished that demon."

Chris looked to each aunt in turn and asked, "Okay… So what's the problem?" He stepped closer to the portable crib and peered inside before exclaiming, "What is that?"

Paige was the one to answer, "That is a baby."

"Yeah, I figured that much out already. What is it doing in there with Wyatt?" Chris asked impatiently.

"Well, every time we take him out Wyatt just orbs back in," Piper informed him.

"Whose baby is it?" Chris asked.

"Uh, see that's the problem. That demon that ate the other demon? Well this is her baby. We can't decide what to do."

Chris was stunned; they were leaving a demon in the pack and play with Wyatt. He was about to freak out on them when he heard Paige.

"We are not going to vanquish a baby. Maybe it's just because I was adopted, but there is that whole nature verse nurture…" Paige began.

As she was talking, a long elastic forked tongue snaked out from the baby. Chris gasped in surprise, "Seth…"

All three sisters looked up at Chris.

Chris looked around at his family in horror as he said, "No! You can't harm him! He's my best friend!"

Piper was stunned, "Your best friend is a demon?"

"He's half human, half manticore," Chris said earnestly. "Please, Mom, you save him and his dad. You have to protect them," he pleaded.

"Ok, honey, calm down. Tell me what's going on," Piper said softly.

Chris took in a deep breath to explain the story to Piper, while Phoebe played peek-a-boo with Wyatt and Seth.

"Manticore demons mate with humans to create hybrids, so they can blend in, hide in plain sight," Chris began, "They kill their mates after conception but Seth's dad got away. He mixed potions using whatever he could steal from them. He had to become powerful, it was the only chance he had. So he became a beast trying to find a way to fight them.

"He thought he was going to die saving Seth but the Charmed Ones saved him and the baby. Seth and I grew up and became best friends." Chris's voice still held a note of pleading in it, "Without his help, I never would have been able to find you, Mom."

As Chris finished Piper had tears in her eyes. No way was she going to let her boy down again. She glanced up as she watched Phoebe take a phone call in the other room before she looked at her son and said, "Don't worry, Peanut, we'll find a way to save him."

Chris was shocked, "What did you just call me?" he asked quietly.

Piper ran the sentence back through her head.

Chris tried again, "Did you call me, Peanut?"

"I guess I did. I'm sorry, does that bother you?" she asked him. She didn't mean to say it; the nickname had just come out.

"No… it's just…" Chris blushed and looked away. He had never told anyone about the note. "You, uh, you left me a note and in it you called me that."

Piper reached her hand up and put it on Chris's cheek. "I left you a note?" she asked with a small smile.

Chris leaned into the touch as he said, "Yeah, you made a baby book for me." He chuckled, "It didn't have many pictures, but it had a bunch of little quotes. After the photos, there was a letter tucked inside that you wrote for me."

Piper's mind went back to the note that Chris brought with him from the future. In it she had said that she would be making a 'special baby book'. At the time Piper assumed it was for Wyatt. Obviously she had made it for Chris. She smiled as she recalled the look of wonder that Chris gave her when she called him Peanut. Maybe she wasn't as horrible of a mother as she had worried she had become.

The mood was ruined as Leo orbed in. He was facing the pack and play and saw Seth just as his elastic forked tongue snaked out. "What is that in the playpen with Wyatt?"

Chris jumped up and said, "Dad, it's ok. He's my friend in the future. We just need to save Derek and vanquish the other Manticore Demons."

Leo looked at his son. He loved hearing the boy call him 'Dad', but he still glanced to Piper to make sure she was OK with saving what was obviously a demon. The look on her face showed she was supporting the decision. "Ok, Chris. What's the plan?"

Chris and his parents brought both babies up to the attic. Chris began to work on the Manticore vanquishing potion and had instructed Piper to continue to play peek-a-boo with Seth. He explained that last time they had to vanquish the Manticore demons while Seth was with them. Baby Seth was in a cave with the other Manticore demons and Piper encouraged him to play peek-a-boo. When he did he would shimmer out of the room then back again. Chris smiled as he told them how it never got old, teasing him about the peek-a-boo saving his life!

Chris had run downstairs to get an ingredient when a greenish grey hunchbacked demon shimmered into the room. The demon tried to get the baby but Wyatt's shield protected them. Piper tried to blow him up but he shimmered in behind her and then shimmered them both away.

Chris orbed up just in time to watch them both disappear. He paused to sense for his mother and tried to orb and follow her but Leo grabbed his arm. "No, Chris. I need you to stay here and watch your brother."

"But…" was all Chris was able to say before Leo began again.

"I need you to be safe," Leo told him.

"But… what about Mom?" Chris asked. Didn't his dad understand that she was pregnant with him! He wasn't safe unless she was! Chris opened his mouth to push further but shimmering interrupted him.

Suddenly Piper and the Beast reappeared. Piper quickly threw her arms up to stop them from attacking them, "Wait, this is Derek. Seth's father," she gave a knowing glance at her husband and immediately he believed her. Chris, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. Okay, he knew the story that the man had turned himself into a beast but those were just stories. Chris knew Derek! He was as human as they get. Well almost, he did have better than average hearing and strength, but he was human looking!

Piper saw the look that Chris was giving Derek and decided that he was the one that should retrieve her sisters, "Chris, go and get your aunts. We are going to need all the help we can get to vanquish the Manticore demons."

Chris gave his mother a dark look but relented when she returned the stare. He sighed and mumbled, "Yes, Ma'am," as he orbed off to find his two aunts.

When he returned he found a human looking Derek on the couch with his dad standing over him healing him.

"What happened," Paige asked, stopping Chris from asking the same question.

Piper answered, "Leo went to change Wyatt while I was bottling the vanquishing potions. Two of the Manticore demons came in. They knocked me down and attacked Derek. I was able to throw the potion at one of them but the other took the baby."

Chris was frantic, "We have to find Seth!"

"We will, Chris. There is some demon blood here on the ground and we'll scry with it," Phoebe told him. She then gathered some of the liquid and proceeded to use the crystal to try to locate the demons.

Derek sat up, "I can't believe I'm human again. Thank you. But, why are you helping me?"

Leo answered, "I'm a father first," and with that comment Chris gave a small lopsided grin. Leo continued with, "Don't worry; we will save your son."

Derek smiled back and then looked over at Chris, "Why do you keep calling him Seth?"

Chris blushed, "Well, it's uh, his name…"

Derek gave a questioning gaze and Leo filled him in with the cliff notes version of how Chris came from the future and is actually his son's best friend.

"Good to know," Derek said with a smile.

"Ok, we're ready," Paige said as she watched the scrying crystal stop at a spot on the map.

Chris walked over to grab some of the vials himself but was stopped when Piper said, "No, you stay here and watch your brother."

"What? But Seth's my best friend!" Chris yelled.

"Christopher, I would watch your tone if I were you," Leo told him in a commanding voice.

Chris whirled around to face his father as he yelled again, "You would have let me go before!"

Leo's face became hard as he said in a menacing voice, "Would you like to go to your room and discuss with me why I wouldn't have minded before?"

Chris knew what Leo meant; did he want to discuss the glamour spell he had cast on himself, making him appear at least six years older. He also thought when Leo said 'discuss' that he didn't actually mean talk. Chris didn't heed the warning though; he stepped closer to the vials as he said firmly, "No, I would like to go with them."

Leo stepped forward, took Chris's arm and began to lead him out of the attic. He caught sight of Derek when he turned to see Leo taking him to the stairs. Chris suddenly had a flashback to this morning's dream where Wyatt was dragging him to his room to spank him in front of Seth.

Chris's voice held a note of panic as he dug his feet into the ground and said, "No, Dad. Fine! I'll stay, OK?"

Leo stopped and looked at his son's face, "Are you sure?" he asked in a cold tone.

Chris dropped his head in defeat as he whispered, "Yes sir."

Leo let go of his arm as he said, "So long as you are sure."

Chris rolled his eyes, but only because Leo couldn't see him. The last thing he needed was to be treated like a little kid in front of Seth's dad!

The Charmed Ones had already orbed off while Chris and Leo were talking. They returned ten minutes later holding Seth and announcing that they had vanquished all of the demons.

Chris stalked off and went to sulk in his room.

Piper and Derek talked for a few minutes. She offered to bind the boy's power if he ever needed it.

Derek replied, "No, thanks, that's really sweet but it's not necessary. He's a good boy so it's just up to me to make sure he stays that way."

Piper smiled and said, "In that case he's in good hands. Well, take care."

Derek turned and pushed the stroller that Piper had given him as he replied, "You too." And he left the manor.

Piper walked up the stairs and knocked on Chris's bedroom door. He didn't answer but she opened the door and stepped in the room. He was laying on the bed facing the wall.

Piper walked over and sat next to him on the bed. She carded her fingers through his hair and said, "I'm sorry we are being so over protective, Peanut."

Chris sighed and rolled back over to face her. He wondered if he should tell them that he was used to it. That Wyatt had treated him the same way growing up. That he honestly understood that they were just trying to protect him.

Piper continued running her fingers through his short hair, "You have to understand, we aren't used to having a teenage son." Then she said with a small grin, "One that likes to put himself in harm's way.

"Your dad and I are going to do everything we can do to keep you safe," she continued, "I'm sorry it upsets you but that is what parents do."

Chris sighed again as he said, "I know Mom. Wyatt wouldn't have let me go either. He would have kicked my butt if I had yelled at him like that." He blushed as he realized he had just said too much so he pushed on, "I'm the one that's sorry. I was just worried about Seth."

Piper smiled and she leaned down to kiss her son's forehead. She filed away that little tidbit of information Chris had just shared. "You're a good friend, Chris. We are going to fix all of this. I have a feeling that things are falling into place."

And with that cryptic last sentence she got up and left the room. Chris smiled as he watched her go. He also had a feeling things were happening the way they were supposed to.

**TBC**

_**A/N: I bet you didn't see that first part coming… or the fact that it was just dream! LOL! That was my answer **__**to my faithful reviewer **__**Itachi-nii **__**who requested having Wyatt come to the past to scold Chris for leaving the house without his permission.**_


	26. The Demon With No Name

_**A/N: Following the muse again has led us to Witchstock. This chapter has spoilers for and dialog directly from that episode. I didn't go into what happened to the sisters in 1967; suffice it to say that everything that happened on the show happened here too. I am only showing what happened during 2004. And on with the story…**_

**Chapter 26**

**The Demon With No Name**

Chris reached over and answered the phone as he checked the clock next to the bed, four thirty in the morning. "Hello."

"Chris, there are some problems over here," Chris heard Darryl say. "Some," and the next words were whispered, "Magical problems. I need your help."

"Alright, be there in a minute," Chris said. Then he smiled as he glanced up at his bedroom door. There was no need to wake anyone. He could handle this! His family was still asleep so there would be no one to stop him.

Chris was tying his shoe when the guilt hit. He really should wake someone. He paused as he thought about the talk he had with his parents before he went to sleep.

**\FLASHBACK/**

"_You're dad and I are going to do everything we can do to keep you safe," Piper said, "I'm sorry it upsets you but that is what parents do."_

_Chris sighed again as he said, "I know Mom. Wyatt wouldn't have let me go either. He would have kicked my butt if I had yelled at him like that." He blushed as he realized he had just said too much so he pushed on, "I'm the one that's sorry. I was just worried about Seth."_

_He remembered how nice it was when his mom kissed his forehead and told him he was a good friend. He was still lying in bed thinking about what his mother said before she left the room, that 'everything was falling into place.' He hoped she was right. He felt that things were happening the way they were supposed to also._

_He was lost in thought when he heard the door open once more. He thought it was Piper again so he was surprised when he heard the soft voice from Leo ask, "Chris, can I talk to you for a sec?"_

_Chris rolled over to his back and pushed himself into a seated position, "Sure, Dad, what's wrong?"_

_Leo smiled sadly and walked into the room. He pulled the desk chair with him and sat it next to the bed so he was closer to Chris. "I… wanted to talk."_

_Chris started to panic. Was he in more trouble for the back talking he did? His heart rate picked up and he fidgeted with the blanket as he said, "Uh, yeah, about earlier…"_

_Leo placed a gentle hand over Chris's and said, "I'm sorry for the way I handled that."_

_Chris stopped and shot his eyes up to his father's. He didn't understand, sorry about what?_

_Leo continued, "You and I have seemed to have gotten off on the wrong foot. First I just followed your lead and then, when we found out how young you were… I…" Leo's eyes slid down as he tried to explain. "I have become some kind of dictator." Leo shook his head trying to find a way to explain then he sighed and said, "I'm doing this all wrong."_

_Chris wasn't following; Leo was just being a dad. Chris knew he was pushing boundaries. He didn't mean to always test the limits but he did manage to do it. There was something that pushed Chris to do things on his own. He knew and he was sure that Wy knew that unless there was someone to stop him, Chris would push too hard and put himself into danger._

_Chris asked hesitantly, "You don't w-wanna be my dad?" Is that what he was saying? That he didn't want to be the one to help rein Chris in? Is that why he left in the original timeline; was Chris just too much work?_

_Leo saw the insecurity crop up on Chris's face. He spoke quickly to reassure him, "Of course I want to be your dad! There is nothing I would like to do more than be a father to you and your brother."_

_Chris scrunched his eyes as he said, "Then what do you mean?"_

_Leo gave him a small smile as he said, "I just mean I should be explaining instead of dictating. And there was no reason for me to manhandle you when we were talking to Derek."_

_Chris blushed a little and said, "Yeah, well…"_

_Leo continued as he reached out and brushed the hair out of Chris's eyes, "I just wanted to say that I was sorry. It's just that as soon as I saw how young you were and the danger you were putting yourself in… I just kinda lost it. And then knowing how the other Chris died and that other Leo couldn't prevent it… I'm going to do everything I can to keep you safe, Chris." Leo smiled and gave a self-depreciating grin as he said, "I'll just try to talk it through with you."_

_Chris gave a small chuckle. He hadn't even realized that Leo wasn't talking about discipline with him before. Chris felt that what he was doing was pushing it and Leo was taking a no nonsense approach. "Thanks, Dad," was all he could think to say._

"_I love you, Kiddo," Leo said as he kissed his forehead and got up putting the chair back under the desk._

_Chris snuggled into his covers feeling loved and wanted. He fell asleep wondering if there was any way to use this new found information to start going on solo vanquishes…_

**\END FLASHBACK/**

Chris finished tying the other shoe and stood, grabbed his jacket and paused by his door listening to see if anyone else was up yet. He peeked out the door and when he saw nothing he closed the door again and orbed to the factory. He should be able to do away with this simple green blob before anyone woke up. He still felt a little bad, but it seems that even if Dad found out he would only want to talk it over with him now. Hmmm, guilt seemed to work in Chris's favor. Without the threat of punishment weighing over his head, Chris thought he could do anything he wanted.

Chris walked over to Darryl and had him keep the factory workers out for a little bit longer. He was sure that he could handle slime all on his own. How hard could it be?

He stood in the room waiting for the blob to attack, silently wishing that Seth were here with him. They had the best times fighting in the underworld. Heck he would even deal with the half ass battle that Wy allowed him to be in. Wy… He did miss his big brother…

Just as Chris thought those words blue and white lights began to form on the cement floor in front of him. Before the figure coalesced into the body of his little 'big' brother the green slime shot out towards the twinkling lights. Chris quickly raised his hands and threw lightning out blob causing a huge explosion. Chris was grateful that it didn't take that much energy. The last time he had used that power he knocked himself unconscious for a while. First he made sure that no more slime was hovering around. Except for the splatter left on his clothes, they seemed to be safe. He ran to the door and gave Darryl the all clear before he jogged back and picked up Wyatt, orbing them back to the manor.

Chris set his brother down on his bed and then checked to see if anyone was up. Luck was on his side as the house was still quiet. He whispered to Wyatt as he got changed, "You can't tell Mom and Dad about that, OK? That little adventure just needs to stay between me and you." Chris was so busy directing Wyatt not to tattle he didn't see some of the slime that covered his clothes inch its way off the shirt he had been wearing.

Once he was redressed he scooped Wyatt up taking him down to the kitchen and began to make breakfast. Each of the sisters came downstairs and made themselves a cup of coffee. Piper gave Chris a kiss on the cheek and Leo patted his arm. Everyone dug into the pancakes and chatted about their plans for the day. Chris let out a sigh of relief that he had gotten away with this morning's vanquish with no one the wiser.

"No, I'm serious," he heard his Aunt Phoebe saying, "I need some help finding that book. If you guys could just look through the boxes with me I am sure we will find it in no time."

"But it's Saturday, Phoebe," Aunt Paige whined, "I don't want to spend all morning in the attic."

"If you help me then we won't be spending all morning there. Please Paige." Aunt Phoebe begged.

"Oh all right, but you owe me. I wanted to spend some time with Richard," Aunt Paige said. Chris wondered who this 'Richard' was. It sounded like a boyfriend, but Chris had never met him. Chris's mind wandered to the diaries. He remembered that in the other timelines that Aunt Paige was living with a boyfriend during this time. He guessed his arrival somehow stopped that. He wondered if his being here was going to interfere with Aunt Paige meeting Uncle Henry. He hoped not. He had three cousins that needed for them to get together.

"Well, at least one of us has a boyfriend to worry about. It seems that Jason and I are over. I wouldn't move with him, so…" Phoebe started.

"But he wanted you to move to Hong Kong! How could we be the Power of Three if you moved that far away?" Piper questioned.

"Yeah," Chris said, "It never would have worked out anyway…" Then he looked up at his aunts and mother realizing he had said too much. He grabbed his plate and set it in the sink as he said, "Uh, I mean…" Nope, he had nothing. He grabbed Wyatt out of the high chair. The little boy was completely covered in syrup. "I'll just go and get Wy cleaned up…" and he all but ran out of the kitchen.

"Wait, what do you know?" Phoebe tried to ask but Chris was faster.

"Do you think he knows anything about Richard?" Paige asked.

Piper looked over to her baby sister; something was going on there. "What's going on with Richard?" Piper asked her.

All attention on her now, Paige picked up plates and took them over to the sink and she began to wash the dishes. "Well, it's just with his problem with magic…" She paused and thought about exactly what she wanted to say. She needed help with this and her sisters were the best place to go for that. She sighed heavily, "I don't think this is going to work out. I need to be surrounded by magic. We are the Charmed Ones. And then there is the threat against Wyatt." She sighed again. Maybe if she had been with Richard more she could forget how much she needed to be around her sisters. She wondered if she had moved in with him when he offered if she would be thinking the same thoughts about leaving him. "I just don't think he can be 'the one' if I have to hide my magic usage around him. I don't want him to be uncomfortable, but…" Paige let the statement drop.

Phoebe completely understood her sister's situation. Both of them were happy enough with their boyfriends but when you threw magic into the mix, all bets were off. They both needed to be with someone that would understand their need to be around for 'family emergencies'. She thought she would inject some humor into the atmosphere, "Well, I think that we are going to be fine. I get the feeling that in Chris's future we have husbands that understand magic. And there are always the children that Chris didn't want to discuss with us." She smiled.

Paige finished up the dishes and left them to dry in the drainer. "You know, I think you are right."

"Of course I am, and I know just what will get your mind off of all of this," Phoebe says with a big smile.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll help you find your book," Paige tells her.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Chris took Wyatt upstairs to the bathroom. He tried to clean the syrup of him but it proved to be a much harder job than he had anticipated. "Did you bathe in this stuff? I wish I had a camera so I could take a picture of you like this." Chris laughed as he decided it would probably just be easier to give the boy a bath.

"Boat," Wyatt said as he pointed to one of his bath toys. Apparently bubbles were not enough to entertain his little 'big' brother.

"Boat huh. You wanna play with your boat?" Chris asked the toddler.

Wyatt nodded and Chris handed him the toy.

Chris laughed again as he was washing the baby's hair and made little spikes with the suds, "Oh man! If I could show you this! You would NEVER live this down."

Wyatt filled the boat with water and drained it saying, "Green… BOOM!"

Chris tensed as he realized that the boy was playing a repeat of this morning's vanquish. "Uh, remember, Wy, that is just between us, right?"

Wyatt grabbed Chris's fingers and said, "Cwiss… lighs… fingwers… BOOM!"

'Oh shit!' Chris thought! That was all he needed! If his family hears Wyatt saying 'Chris, lights, fingers boom' he would be sunk! They could figure out that Chris used his powers to zap the slime but worse than that, not only did he go on a vanquish but he took Wyatt with him. Albeit not intentionally but he seriously doubted that his parents were going to see it that way! "No buddy, no boom… boat… Let's play with the boat," he said as he tried to get his brother's attention on something – ANYTHING – else."

"Boat," Wyatt said and seemed happy enough to play with Chris and the boat. Chris could only pray that Wy didn't bring any 'booming' into the conversation with his parents around.

He let the boy play while he finished rinsing his hair then allowed him to play with the boat as he dried him off. "Yes, see, boat! That's right, buddy, go ahead and play." Fingers crossed that was actually going to work.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

The three sisters were up in the attic looking through old boxes.

"Oh, wow, Phoebe," Piper pulls out red knee-high boots. "These are some boots."

"No, they're not mine," Phoebe says, "But I wish they were 'cause they're hot."

"The box says 'Penny'." Paige stated, "Penny as in Grams Penny?"

"No way," Phoebe exclaims, "I refuse to believe that Grams ever wore anything this hot."

"Yeah," Piper says, "I figured her more for steel toed orthopedics, you know, the better to kick your ass with."

Phoebe takes the shoes and turns them over to check them out, "They're your size, Paige, try them on."

Paige groans, "I don't know."

Phoebe laughs lightly, "Oh, come on, just do it."

Paige takes off her shoes, wrinkles her nose and says, "They're kind of sixties."

"So what's wrong with the sixties?" Phoebe asks.

Paige looks up and states, "The sixties was like the worst fashion era. Hello!" She puts on the boots as she continues, "Bad clothing, bad hair, and extremely questionable personal hygiene. Hey, they fit!" Suddenly Paige disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Right," Phoebe starts to say then as she looks up she says, "Where'd she go?"

The two remaining sisters look dumbstruck at the spot where Paige was. Piper yells out, "Leo!"

Chris had just laid Wyatt down for a nap heard the yell and immediately orbed upstairs. Leo orbed in a second later.

The girls quickly explained the situation.

"What do you mean you lost Paige?" Chris demands.

"Well, it was really weird," Phoebe began, "I mean one second she was here and the next second... poof."

Piper took over saying, "It kind of happened after she put on a pair of Grams' boots."

Leo nodded, "Grams used to cast a spell on her clothes when she was younger."

Phoebe startled, "Wait, you knew Grams when she was young?"

Leo looked down as he explained quietly, "Yeah, we crossed paths once or twice when I was a young Whitelighter."

Piper wrinkled her nose, "Eww."

Chris opted to say nothing although he totally agreed with Piper's 'Eww' comment.

Leo blushed, "Well, I barely remember it."

"Huh," Piper replied.

"Eww," Phoebe repeated.

"Uh-huh," Piper said.

Chris thought he better get them back on topic, "Well, if the boots did belong to Grams, then we better summon her from the dead. Maybe she can tell us what happened to Paige."

Phoebe thought that was as good a subject change as any, "Okay, let's get the candles."

Piper wasn't deterred, "But you..."

Phoebe took Pipers arm and pulled her away.

The green slime that had been on Chris's shirt earlier inched over and was on the top of the shoe when the sisters came back in the room.

Phoebe lit the candles and said the spell:

"Here these words, here my cry,

Spirit from the other side, come to me,

I summon thee, cross now the great divide."

The green goo on Chris's foot multiplied and covered his whole shoe.

Grams appeared in a swirl of lights.

"Well," Grams began, "It's about time you called to say hello." She reaches out and hugs Piper and Phoebe. "Oh, my darlings."

Piper hugs her back but says, "Ah, we got a problem."

Grams looks over to Chris and says, "Well, you're not the only one."

The green goo rises up both of Chris's legs.

Leo shouts, "Orb out."

Chris shakes his head, "No, magic makes it grow. Summoning her spirit already gave it power."

Piper doesn't like the looks of this and says, "Chris, just let me blast it."

Phoebe nods, "She's right. Orb."

"Oh, for heaven sakes," Grams says, "Listen to them. We'll find a way to vanquish the foul thing later."

The slime was covering more and more of Chris's body. He decides to risk it and orbs out.

"Now," Leo tells Piper.

Piper blows up the goo and it scatters into a million pieces. Chris orbs back in. The goo disappears into the floorboards.

"Uh, oh," Phoebe says as she watches the slime vanish into the cracks of the floor.

Grams looks over again at Chris and says, "So you must be the whitelighter from the future." She looks back at Piper and says, "I thought you sent him back?"

"Uh, well," Piper begins, "Not exactly. This is my son."

Grams squints her eyes at Chris and says, "No. That isn't Wyatt."

Leo puts a reassuring hand on Chris's shoulder and says, "This is our second son, Chris."

Chris gave him a grateful smile.

"Okay…" Grams said, leaving the sentence hanging for Piper to fill in as she led the sisters to the living room. Chris and Leo walked over to the Book of Shadows to see if there was anything on the green blob that could help them.

Grams continued once she was out of ear shot, "Another son, Piper? This is becoming a pattern here, isn't it?" She could tell she was about to get a full on Piper explosion so she quickly changed the subject. "I thought he came back because of the Titans?"

"Yeah, there was more than that threat that sent him back here. There is also a threat against Wyatt that he came to stop," Piper explained, "But we're handling everything."

Grams wasn't pleased, "Dear, you have Paige stuck in the past and a demonic blob roaming the manor. Exactly how are you handling things?"

She may have said more but Leo and Chris walked in.

Leo paused and said, "Shh. Everyone quiet."

They all listened as the house began making strange noises. Chris put his ear up to the wall.

"I can hear it," Chris said, "I think it's in the wall."

The wall he was leaning against cracked.

Leo pulled Chris back protectively. "Yep, it's in the wall," Leo said unnecessarily.

"Okay, we're gonna need Paige," Chris began, "Since one of us alone isn't powerful enough; it's probably going to take the Power of Three to vanquish this thing."

"What?" Piper asked, "How do you know that one of us isn't powerful enough?"

Chris thought fast on his feet, he was going to be in so much trouble if they figured out what he did this morning. "Because, uh, you tried to blow it up and it didn't work," he said quickly. Too quickly if his parents had been paying attention, but they were distracted by Grams as she began to give out directions.

"Leo," Grams began, "You and Chris check out the book to see if there is anything on this blob." Then she turned to the remaining sisters and asked, "Now, which boots did Paige put on?"

"Red go-go boots," Piper said.

Grams paused, then she said, "We've got a problem. Those boots took Paige back to the summer of love, which was one of the most crucial times of my life."

Phoebe asked, "What do you mean crucial?"

"Your grandfather, Allen, rest his soul, was a sweet man, but he lead me straight down the hippy-dippy trail," Grams explained.

"You were a flower child?" Phoebe marveled.

"Yeah, well, don't rub it in." Grams said in her usual no nonsense tone, "What's important is that Allen was killed by my best friend. I didn't know it then, but she was evil. And I walked in right after it happened."

"What'd you do?" Piper asked.

"Well, let's just say that my peacenik days ended fast, along with that bitch Robyn. If she hadn't killed Allen..." Grams left the sentence hanging.

Leo finished it with, "You'd still be a flower child."

Grams nodded, "And the Charmed Ones would be dead. I know I'm a ball buster. But it kept me alive to protect my girls from all the demons that came after them as kids. I cast my return to owner spell on a lot of clothes that summer, so..."

"So we get to go back there?" Phoebe asked excitedly, "We get to meet our grandfather?"

"Don't make too much out of it because whatever you do," Grams informed her, "You can't change the past or tell anyone you're from the future."

Phoebe pouted, "Well, why does he get to?"

"I didn't, Mom did!" Chris said importantly.

Grams ignored the byplay and said, "I'll stay here with the boys to contain the slime, until you can bring Paige back to vanquish it. Okay, go, get dressed. You are going to the summer of love."

Piper came up with a spell that would counter the return to owner spell that Grams had placed on the clothes. Phoebe worked on a spell that included the Power of Three to vanquish the blob. Then they each put on something that Grams had put the returning spell on and they vanished.

Grams looked at Chris and Leo, "The way I see it, we're all targets for the slime. We need a plan to control it until the girls get back."

The silence permeated the room until Chris said suddenly, "The diaries. If this happened before then we will know what they did." And he took off towards the room. He was glad to get away from Grams and his father. Grams seemed to be a little distant, must be the shock of finding out he was family. And with his dad, well there was that whole finding out how the slime got into the manor.

When Chris joined his family they were standing in front of Wyatt's crib discussing ways to contain the slime. No one was paying attention to little Wyatt trying to reach his sippy cup.

Leo said, "We could orb it to an ice drift."

Chris didn't look up from the page he was on as he said, "Nah, that's bad."

Grams shook her head, "It's not bad, it's awful. You can't orb that thing, it feeds on magic."

Chris was getting a little tired of Grams attitude. With that and the lack of sleep from last night his own sarcasm crept in, "So what's your great idea?"

Grams didn't even blink as she asked, "Are you giving me lip?"

Chris, chagrined said, "No." Just as he saw Wyatt orb his sippy cup and the slime demon shot out of the wall. "No!" Chris exclaimed.

Leo grabbed Wyatt and they all ran downstairs. Pieces of the roof fell into the room.

Leo paused his steps and said, "Hold on. I think it's stopped." He then looked at Chris and said, "Get Wyatt out of the house. If it tries to follow, I'll fire off an orb or two to distract it."

Chris looked at Grams, still unable to rein in the sarcasm and asked, "You okay with that?"

Grams gave a one shouldered shrug and answered, "Yeah, it's just what I had in mind."

"Good," Leo said as he handed Wyatt over to Chris. At least both boys would be safe until they could figure out what to do.

Chris hurried towards the front door but the slime had just covered it so he turned and took Wyatt to the kitchen so he could go out the back door but it was covered too.

"What'd it do?" Leo asked, "Split in half?"

Chris turned to look at his father, "How do we get out?"

Leo shrugged, "I don't know. Orb?"

Chris shook his head, "The last time I orbed, that thing almost swallowed me whole."

Leo asked, "What do you think, Penny?" and he turned to face her.

Instead of seeing the Grams as she was when she arrived they saw her standing in the doorway wearing tie-dyed sixties clothes.

If the change weren't shocking enough, the next words out of her mouth would be, "I think love conquers all. I think that we should take the demon into our arms and make it feel safe."

Neither Leo nor Chris knew what to say to that so they only looked at each other.

"Dad," Chris began, "Could I talk to you for a second, please?"

Leo looked to Grams and asked, "Do you mind holding him for a second?"

Grams smiled, "Of course," she said as Leo handed Wyatt over, "Come here, Moonbeam."

Leo stiffened slightly, "Wyatt. His name's Wyatt."

Chris rolled his eyes as he walked a bit away from Grams with Leo following him.

Before they could say anything the slime that was bulging through the wall hit the electrical socket. A spark flew out. This caused the blob to retreat away from that spot.

Grams began singing to Wyatt and they all missed Wyatt whisper, "Cwiss, lighs, fingwers, booooooom."

Chris said, "One of the sisters must have changed the past because Penny clearly never made the change from flower child to demon hunter."

Leo looked over at Grams singing a definite sixties song to Wyatt.

Leo grimaced, "Clearly. Think the girls can fix the timeline and get back here?"

The slime demon oozes up into the back door.

Chris looked at the back door. "I don't know. But this thing is trying to back us into a corner," he said and his eyes stopped at the appliances on the kitchen counter, "Take Wyatt and Joan Baez here into the conservatory. I have an idea."

Leo hesitated, "I'm not leaving you here."

Chris sighed, grabbed the blender and led them out of the kitchen. He wanted to yell at his dad for not trying to protect Wyatt at all costs but a small part of his brain told him it would be useless since he was asking instead for himself to be put in danger. He was learning really fast that his family was not going to allow that. And all along he had thought that it was just Wyatt being overprotective when he was growing up. He set the appliances down. He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed Wyatt orbing to his arms. He quickly caught the toddler and asked Leo to retrieve some more electrical things from the kitchen.

It was good timing too, since as soon as Leo entered the kitchen Wyatt, who was now securely in Chris's arms waved his little fingers and said, "Cwiss… boom!" Chris's eyes shot up to the kitchen entryway but Leo was no longer there. He grabbed little Wyatt's hands gently and put the waving fingers down as he said with a quiet yet frantic voice, "No buddy… please… no boom… OK?"

"O tay, Cwiss, no boom," Wyatt told his brother solemnly.

Chris breathed out a sigh of relief that his dad hadn't heard the exchange and hoped that the little guy would keep to his word.

A short time later they had an impressive stack of kitchen appliances all plugged together on the dining room table.

"Why isn't it attacking?" Leo asked, "It's like it cornered us and now it's just waiting."

Chris looked over his pile and said, "I think we need the toaster oven."

Leo went to the kitchen and grabbed the toaster oven.

Grams glanced at the mess of appliances and said, "You know, that's a disaster waiting to happen."

"That's the idea," Chris explained, "You saw how the slime reacted to electricity."

Leo added the toaster oven to the pile.

Chris continued, "Well, if we can get it to attack this pile, maybe we can get to zap it."

Leo looked for room on the power board where all the appliances are plugged in. "If I can find a place to plug it in," Leo added.

"No offence, you know," Grams began, "But my dear Allen would have taken the path of peaceful resistance. Have you tried talking to the slime?"

"No," Leo said, "I haven't, and you shouldn't either."

Leo finally found a spot to plug the toaster in, "Got it." As soon as he plugs in the toaster oven the power goes out.

"Damn it!" Chris exclaimed.

Leo was distraught as well and decided not to call him on the language use.

"I told you, boys," Grams said, "Violence is not the answer to anything."

Chris ignored her and said, "I'm going to the fuse box," and he handed Wyatt over to his father.

"It's in the basement," Leo told him, "There's a flashlight in the laundry room."

Chris rolled his eyes as he left the room and it took all his strength not to say 'Duh' since of course he knew where the fuse box and flash light were!

Chris stood near top of the stairs, pointing the flashlight at the floor of the basement. "Dad!" he yelled as he ran up the stairs and shut the door.

Leo ran in. "What is it? What is it?" he asked urgently.

"The slime," Chris told him through panting breaths, "Is in the basement feeding on the Nexus."

"How big was it?" Leo asked as he opened the door and shined the flashlight down the stairs. The slime was covering the entire floor. He quickly shut the door as he says, "Big."

"Yeah," Chris agreed, "Big."

They walked back in to the dining room. Leo handed Wyatt back over to Chris and picked up two live wires. He stood so that he was protecting his sons as he said, "If the demon comes at us, I'll try and hold it off with this."

While Leo was holding the wires, ready to shock anything that came near them, Grams opened the basement door and walked in.

"Don't be afraid of us," Grams said serenely, "We won't hurt you."

"Penny, get back!" Leo shouted.

The slime demon formed a green hand, grabbed Grams and sucked her in.

Chris set Wyatt down in the pack and play then joined Leo in the kitchen. Both of them were holding the basement door closed.

Leo got a better foot hold as the door was pushing back against them. "Hey, what did the diaries say?" he asked Chris.

"Nothing, just that they came back and said a Power of Three spell," Chris informed him.

"Well, that's not very helpful then," Leo said.

It took all of Chris's strength not to answer with 'Duh' again.

Suddenly Piper, Phoebe and Paige appeared.

"Stand back, fellas," Piper told them.

Paige said the spell,

"Drawing on the power of three, destroy this evil entity."

There was a large explosion in the basement and the slime demon was vanquished.

Piper gave Chris a quick hug and then asked, "Where's Wyatt?"

Chris hugged her back saying, "He's in the living room."

"What about Grams?" Phoebe asked.

Leo looked down as he said, "She didn't make it."

The basement door popped open and smoke billowed in the air.

"Nonsense," Grams said as she walked out of the basement, coughing, "You can't damage an old war horse like me. I'm already dead."

"Yay," Phoebe exclaimed in her annoying baby voice. She hugged her as she said, "Grams, I'm so glad you're back."

Wyatt cried in the other room and Piper left the kitchen.

Paige sidled up to Leo and said, "Hey there, sun god."

"Hey," Leo said quietly, "That was a long time ago. Let's just keep that between us, okay?"

Chris pretended he didn't hear what Paige and Leo were talking about. He would rather not ever know what was said between the two in the past.

Grams looked over between Chris and Leo and said, "I wanna thank you two for not giving up the fight. I'm really proud of you boys. You did good!"

Leo placed a hand on Chris's shoulder and Chris gave a proud smile. He was very aware that this was Grams way of saying 'welcome to the family'.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Later that evening, after Grams was sent back to the afterlife, Leo and Piper were talking about everything that had happed. Piper explained how Paige had stopped Robyn from killing Allen, thus causing Grams to try to peacefully meet with the warlock. They finally were able to convince her that they were her grandchildren and that she needed to become a demon hunter to protect them.

Leo explained how they were stuck here in the present with a peacenik Grams trying to 'chat' with the demon. "You should have seen Chris, though, I was really proud of him. He came up with the plan to try to electrocute the demon. He was even willing to leave to keep Wyatt safe," Leo told her.

Piper got up to answer the phone and Leo looked over at his sons playing with blocks on the floor. Leo smiled as he watched the two interact.

Piper stormed back into the room and immediately Leo knew something was wrong. He stood up and walked over to her. He gave her a hug and tried to help her calm down. He didn't ask what was wrong. He knew that with this mood she was in she would need a moment to compose herself.

Piper took two deep breaths and sat back down on the couch with Leo following suit. She glanced over at Chris and Wyatt as the boys were cleaning up the blocks that they had been playing with. Piper calmly said, "Oh Chris?"

Chris stood up bringing Wyatt over with him. He had been getting ready to put the boy to bed. "Yeah?" he answered, unsure where this conversation was going.

"Do you have any idea how that unnamed blob got into the manor today?" Piper asked.

Even though Piper's demeanor was calm, Chris's heart rate picked up. He shot his eyes over to his father's then back to his mother's before he asked, "What?" as evenly as he could manage.

"I wanted to know if you had any idea how that blob got into the manor," Piper repeated.

Chris fidgeted and realized he was still holding his brother. He decided that was his best chance for escape so he answered, "I don't know. I'm going to go and put Wy to bed." And he walked quickly towards the stairs hoping beyond hope that his mother didn't have a clue as to how the slime appeared.

"Piper?" Leo questioned.

"That call was from Darryl to thank us again for helping him with the big green blob that was at the factory today. It seems that WE managed to vanquish it before breakfast," Piper explained to her husband. She was still trying to determine how to handle what Chris had done when they both heard Wyatt's voice from the stairs.

"Cwiss, lighs, fingwers… BOOM!" came the distant sounding baby voice.

The next word could be heard throughout the house when Piper yelled, "CHRISTOPHER!"

**TBC**

_**A/N: I have written a one shot to show what happened next called "Repercussion". You can find the link on my bio page.**_


	27. Excalibur

_**A/N: **__**Again, these stories are being told out of order. This chapter has lines directly from "Sword and the City" and "Hyde School Reunion". Please just go with the flow of the story, I know this isn't the way it happened in cannon, it's just happened this way in my universe :)**_

**Chapter 27**

**Excalibur**

Piper was sitting and staring at the stone in her living room. She couldn't believe that they had to be the ones to protect this thing. I mean come on; King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? That was just a legend, right? Right?

But the sword sticking out of that stone and the Dark Knight that was after it proved that it was possibly… just maybe… the truth…

Chris walked down the stairs and stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh cool!" he exclaimed as he took in the sight before him.

On the ground lay a large stone and sticking out of it was none other than Excalibur itself!

Chris was all smiles as he walked up and touched the blade.

"Don't touch it!" Piper told him, "We don't know what will happen."

Chris waved a hand at her and said, "Oh please. Nothing is going to happen. There are only two people that can remove the sword from the stone and that is the Lady of the Lake," with that he pointed at his mother, "Which is you; and the reincarnation of King Arthur." He then pointed at Wyatt saying, "The twice blessed, heir to Excalibur, blah blah blah…" He smiled taking the sting out of the statement.

Piper's mouth dropped, "Wait! What?"

Chris's hand caressed the handle, he turned back to look at the sword as he explained, "According to Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe the story goes that you pulled the sword from the stone…"

Phoebe and Paige entered the room. Paige looked at Chris and asked, "Why do you look like you've never seen it before?"

Chris turned back timidly and said, "Uh, because I haven't actually seen it before."

"Why not?" Phoebe asked before Piper could get him to explain the rest of the story.

"Well, Wyatt said it wasn't safe to have around so he moved it…" Chris paused and got a faraway look as he said, "Wyatt's always been focused on his powers and school and" he paused again as he thought about the fact that Wy was pretty busy raising Chris but he didn't want to mention it. He continued with, "uh, work. I've never even seen him pull it out of the stone; that would have been so cool!"

Piper rolled her eyes at comment then got back to the matter at hand, "What were you saying about me pulling it out of the stone?"

"Oh yeah, you pulled it out but you weren't the new King Arthur ..." Chris paused as Leo orbed into the room.

Leo looked around at the gathered sisters and his son before saying, "According to the Elders, there is a prophesy and Piper is supposed to pass the sword on to whomever it was really meant for. "

Chris nodded and said, "That's what I was saying, Dad. The story was that Wyatt is the next King Arthur; Mom is the Lady of the Lake. Only the ultimate power on Earth can handle Excalibur so when Mom pulled the sword and used it, it began to consume her; making her evil."

"Note to self, don't pull sword," Piper said lightly.

Chris cracked a smile and continued, "That and blow up Mordaunt since he is the one trying to get the sword. See, once it's out of the stone the most powerful can wield it even if it isn't meant for them. So long as it's in the stone it's safe until Wyatt gets old enough to handle it." Chris finished his story and turned back to the sword and touched the handle again.

"Don't touch that!" Piper commanded again.

"Mom, it's fine. No one else can pull it out, only the Lady of the Lake and the next King Arthur. It doesn't matter how hard anyone else pulls," Chris explained as he grasped the handle and began to pull, "It won't come ouuuuut…" the last word was elongated as the sword slipped neatly out of the rock.

The entire family stared at Chris and Excalibur. Chris was the first to speak, "Oh shit!"

Piper reflexively said, "Language, Christopher."

Paige huffed a small chuckle and said, "I'd say an 'oh shit' is warranted here."

Chris looked from his aunt to his mother and said, "Uhhh, that wasn't supposed to happen…"

Piper yelled, "Put it back!"

Chris immediately obeyed, too shocked to do anything else.

"Go up and check the Book of Shadows about this…" Piper ordered Chris.

Chris's mouth dropped, she couldn't be seriously considering sending him to the attic right now? "Mom…" he started to say.

"No, go!" Piper said, leaving no room for doubt that she wanted him out of the room.

"But…" Chris tried again.

Piper gave him a stern look and all but shouted, "NOW!"

Chris wanted to stay and fight but his mouth opened and a "Yes ma'am" came tumbling out and he had orbed to the attic before he even realized it. He stomped over to the book and flipped through it. He knew there was nothing in the Book about Excalibur. They probably knew it too! They just wanted to get Chris out of the room so they could talk about him. Chris pouted as he thought he liked being seen as 22 years old much better than 14.

Downstairs Piper was in a panic. If the sword was meant for Wyatt then Chris would become evil! What were they going to do?

Leo read the distress in his wife's eyes and said, "I'll go _up there_ and find out why he was able to pull the sword." He walked over and pulled Piper into a hug, gave her a kiss on the forehead and said, "Don't worry about it, we'll figure this out." And he orbed away.

Piper was still worried though, "I just don't understand…" was all she was able to say.

Paige looked to each sister then walked over to the sword and gave it a pull.

Piper yelled out, "Paige, no!" but nothing happened. The sword didn't budge.

Paige said, "Well, you can't blame a girl for trying."

Phoebe smiled at the statement but Piper was not amused.

Leo orbed back down and looked around at the sisters.

Piper asked, "Well?"

Leo took in a deep breath and said, "I didn't ask specifically why Chris was able to pull the sword since we don't want them to know he is still here but I did find out about something. There was a prophecy that said the next King Arthur would be 'a descendant of an Ancient Guardian of Beneficence and the foretold Protector of the Ingenuous'."

Piper interrupted, "What the hell does that mean?"

Paige held up her hand and said, "Dictionary," and blue and white lights transformed into a large book. She flipped through the book until she found what she was looking for. She read the passage, "Beneficence: noun – doing good."

Phoebe said, "The Ancient Guardian of Good?"

"Sounds like it," Paige said as she flipped through the book again and stopped as she read the passage aloud, "Ingenuous: adjective - naive, artless, or," Paige paused then said the next word with emphasis, "Innocent."

Piper picked up the conversation from here saying, "So the descendent of an Ancient Guardian of Good and the foretold Protector of the Innocent."

Leo looked at her sheepishly and said, "The Elders think it means the Twice Blessed child."

Chris was walking down the stairs and upon entering the room said, "That's what I said… Wyatt."

Paige interjected here, "No… It can't be Wyatt."

"But the Twice Blessed," Phoebe started.

"Hear me out," Paige stated, "It didn't say that, it said the descendent of an Ancient."

Piper who had been staring at Chris, wanting to protect him from the discussion they were having suddenly widened her eyes and looked at her sister before saying, "An Elder."

Paige smiled and said, "Exactly."

Chris scrunched his eyes in confusion, how did this prove anything? "But… Wyatt is the son of an Elder…" he said.

Phoebe was following the discussion but did not understand until Chris spoke. It was then that a light bulb went off for her and she said, "No, Chris, Wyatt is the son of a Charmed One and a Whitelighter…" She let the statement hang for a moment.

Chris's mouth dropped, there was a pause before he said, "I'm… I'm the son of an Elder…"

Piper's hands went protectively around her pregnant stomach as she said, "But you're not even born yet!"

Paige nodded as the pieces were clicking into place for her, "That is why our future selves didn't know it was Chris." She paused and looked over at Chris, "Did you ever see Wyatt with the sword."

Chris thought back, although he was certain he had never seen Wyatt with the sword he was trying to remember the story. "No, I've never seen Excalibur before today, but according to the stories you guys used to tell, he orbed the sword from Mordant and then vanquished him with it. Then Mom put the sword back in the stone and Aunt Paige orbed it to the attic." Chris's thoughts came back to the present and he said, "Somewhere along the lines Wyatt stored the stone somewhere else saying it wasn't safe."

"Ok, this is a lot to take in," Piper said then she turned to Chris and said, "Chris go look through the diaries and see what happened in the other timelines? Leo," she turned to look at her husband, "Go with him. Let's see how they handled this."

Chris nodded and left the room. Leo started to follow but Piper discreetly grabbed his arm and whispered, "Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Leo didn't crack a smile, he knew his wife was serious so he gave her a short nod and followed his son to the bedroom where the diaries were located.

Once the men were gone Phoebe asked, "What do you think he would do?"

Piper looked at her younger sister and said, "This is Chris we are talking about here. I think he would take the sword and try to handle this on his own if we don't watch him." She thought for a moment and then said, "That's it! I'll call Dad and get him to watch the boys while we handle this Mordaunt character." Piper left her sisters to call her father to come and pick up both boys. She figured this would be the only way to try to keep Chris safe.

When Victor came to the door he said, "Piper, honey, good to see you." And he pulled her into a hug.

Piper replied, "Good to see you, too."

As they backed away from the hug Victor noticed Piper's pregnant stomach. "Oh, whoa, you're pregnant!" he said in shock.

Piper smiled and said, "Yeah, it looks that way, huh?"

Victor was still a little taken aback and asked, "When did this happen?"

Piper slightly shrugged her shoulders and said, "Oh, well, you know, I've been meaning to call you but, you know... Um, it's all very complicated."

They walked into the living room and sat down.

"So I'm beginning to see. That's ok, I'm just glad to be a part of Wyatt's and this little…" he trailed off.

Piper supplied, "It's a boy; Chris, actually."

Victor nodded and asked, "Chris? Why'd you choose that name?"

Piper thought for a moment and said, "It really is complicated." She paused for a moment then continued, "He's actually the reason I asked you to come. See, he, um, needs to be protected and I know he will want to talk to you."

Victor shook his head and said, "I don't understand your Wiccan ways, but I'll try." He leaned towards Piper's stomach and said, "Hello, Chris. Chris. Hello, Chris. Can you hear me?"

Chris called out from the other room, "Is someone calling me?"

Piper smiled and said, "Yeah, uh, sweetie, could you come here a sec?"

Victor jumped back and said, "Geez, he can come out?"

Chris walked in still looking behind him answering someone, "…We need to check that page too…" he turned to face his mother when he saw the other person in the room, "Grandpa!"

Chris went over to Victor and hugged him. Victor gave him a smile and hugged him back, even though he is completely confused.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED/ CHARMED/**

Piper, Victor and Chris were all sitting around the kitchen table. After hearing the cliff notes version of why Chris is from the future Victor asks, "So we're close?"

Chris smiles and answers, "Yeah, you're awesome, Grandpa."

Victor looks over to Piper and says, "Did you hear that? I'm awesome."

Piper smiles and says, "I heard."

Victor looks back at Chris, "I gotta admit I'm a little surprised. I mean, it's no secret I wasn't the greatest dad. It means a lot to me that I could do something to make up for it."

Chris grins and tells him, "You do."

Victor nods and says, "So, how did this work? Did we all live here?"

"Grandpa, I can't tell you things like that," Chris paused and then said, "Future consequences." He looks over to the door and says, "Listen, I really need to get back to the diaries." He started to rise from the chair he was in.

Piper quickly said, "Hey, wait, what, and leave your awesome grandpa alone? I'll go look at the diaries. Grab a sandwich, grab a coffee," the she leans in to her father and whispers, "Keep an eye on him."

Piper walked up to her bedroom where her sisters and Leo were all scouring the diaries trying to figure out what happened.

Leo saw his wife walk in the room and said, "It seems that Chris was right. You pulled the sword and it began to turn you evil. You started taking lessons from Mordaunt and eventually he turned on you and stabbed you. We got Wyatt to take Excalibur from Mordaunt and he used the sword to vanquish Mordaunt."

Piper nodded, she had a plan but it involved her getting Chris and Wyatt to safety first. "Ok, keep reading, I'm going to get Dad to take Chris and Wyatt to his place and then I will tell you what we are going to do." She walked out of the room leaving her stunned husband and sisters watching her go.

Piper walked down the stairs and spoke to her father and son, "Dad, would you do me a favor and keep an eye on Wyatt for a bit for me. We need to figure out how we are going to handle some magical problems and I need him to be safe." She looked over at Chris and said, "Chris, will you take them back to Grandpa's place and get him settled while we work on a plan?"

Chris wanted to object but he had really been missing his grandfather. Besides they were only in the planning stages. He would be back in time to be of help to his family. "Yes ma'am," he said to her and orbed to get his brother.

Victor raised his eyebrows at the title bestowed upon his daughter.

Piper shrugged her shoulders saying, "We have no idea where that came from, but I gotta admit that I like it." She smiled and walked a little closer to her father to whisper, "Keep him with you for as long as possible. He needs to be kept safe and he will want to be in the middle of this." She patted her father on the arm and left before he could answer.

Piper looked through the diaries as she waited to hear her sons and father orb from the manor. Once they were gone she led her family back to the stone that contained Excalibur. She explained while she walked, "There is only one way that we can get this Mordaunt guy here and that is for me to pull the sword. He will get here and I will trick him into thinking that I am following him. We need him to lead us to the Dark Knight."

"Piper," Leo began, "I don't think that is such a great plan."

Piper looked back up at Leo. She knew she had a limited amount of time before Chris came back. She had to keep him safe so she said to her husband, "I wasn't asking you, I was telling you this is what's going to happen." She looked over to her sisters and said, "Once I vanquish the Dark Knight then we can vanquish Mordaunt."

"Piper," Phoebe began, "That doesn't sound safe, why don't we…"

Piper cut her off, "No! We don't have the time to come up with a better plan." She couldn't understand why they were trying to stop her. Of course she could do this on her own! Besides, this was the only way to keep Chris out of this. "Chris will be back soon and I cannot risk his life. We are doing this my way." As she finished the statement she pulled the sword from the stone.

As soon as the sword was raised in the air a figure shimmered into the room. He glanced around the room and the man thought he would go for levity, "I bet you didn't expect this when you got up this morning."

Piper paused and in a confused voice, playing up surprise said, "I..."

The man then announced with flair, "The sword has chosen. You are the new savior, the champion of good, the master of Excalibur. Welcome to your new destiny..." Then the man said with a slight bow, "My Queen."

"Who are you," Piper asked the man although she had a good idea who she was dealing with.

"My name is Mordaunt," he began, "I'm just a humble teacher in service of the sword. And we must begin instruction immediately before your enemy attacks."

Paige said, "The Dark Knight."

Mordaunt paused and asked, "You know him?"

Phoebe responded, "Yeah, we've already kicked his ass."

Piper added, "And if he shows up again we have a vanquishing potion ready and waiting."

Mordaunt nodded, "What's in it?"

Piper told him, "It's a mandrake variation with a little bit of griffins blood."

"That would be good, if you're going up against a pustouous knave which you're not," Mordaunt explained, "If you want to fight the Dark Knight with magic, this is what you need." He raised his hand and a piece of parchment materialized.

Leo narrowed his eyes and said, "I thought you said you were just a humble teacher."

Mordaunt answered flippantly, "I picked up a few things along the way." He handed Phoebe the parchment before saying, "The Dark Knight is no trifle. You have to hit him with everything you have."

Phoebe looked the list over and said, "I've never even heard of half of these ingredients."

Leo still looked wary, "It looks like you picked up quite a bit." He then looked at Phoebe and asked, "What do you think?"

Phoebe looked at Mordaunt and tried to use her empathic power on him.

She shook her head, "I can't get a read on him."

"Distrust is expected but don't let it blind you," Mordaunt informed them, "If I haven't taught Piper how to master the sword before the Dark Knight returns, your survival depends on that potion."

"Okay, so where are we supposed to get the ingredients?" Phoebe asked.

Paige decided to follow along with Piper's plan. They were going to have to let this play out now that she had pulled the stone anyway. She said to Phoebe, "I think I know a place," and she orbed Phoebe and herself out of the room.

When they rematerialized they were in the basement of the manor. Paige said, "We need to be close by, I don't like this plan one bit. This isn't like Piper at all. What is with her thinking that she can handle this all on her own?"

Phoebe completely agreed. She flipped back through the diary she had hidden in her back pocked. "It seems that in both timelines the same thing happened. Piper fights the Dark Knight and when we try to stop her she has one of his followers attack. Leo saves us, though." She paused and looked at her baby sister before she said, "Good thing I left the other diary with Leo." They both smiled even though neither sister liked the plan.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Chris had orbed his grandfather and brother to his grandfather's old apartment building. As soon as they materialized Victor sat down on the sofa, hard. "Ugh!" he said and then he took in a calming breath.

Chris laughed, placed Wyatt on the ground and sat down on the sofa beside his grandfather before saying, "Don't worry, you get used to orbing in the future."

Victor wasn't so sure about that but decided to let it slide and keep the conversation going. Piper had wanted him to keep the boy here with him for as long as possible. "So this future of yours, what did we do? Did I take you to batting cages?"

Chris said, "No."

Victor asked, "Strip clubs?"

Chris quickly replied, "God, no."

"What did I do?" Victor asked imploringly, "You gotta tell me because I am crashing here."

Chris shook his head, "Nothing. You just... we talked."

Victor was a little surprised, "Oh."

Chris made to get up as he said, "Look, we should just get back. They're going to need my help with the Dark Knight and Mordaunt…"

Victor placed a hand on Chris's arm and said, "No, no, no, wait. You said we talk, so let's talk."

Chris huffed a small chuckle.

"What?" Victor asked him, confused by the attitude change.

"It's just, you said those exact words to me once before." Chris smiled as his mind went back to the day of his conversation with his grandfather. The day he had talked with his mom from the future. "It seems that you are always there for me, no matter the timeline. You are the person I talk to in the future." He got up and started to look around the apartment as he finished the statement, "And it seems you were the one I talked to when the other me went to the past."

Chris continued to look around the room, glancing at the pictures. He saw young shots of his mother and his Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Prue. Then he saw a more current one with his mom and Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige. He smiled.

Victor watched him as he let the words sink in. It was heartwarming to know that he had been there for the boy time and time again, pun intended. He felt as though Chris had shared as much as he was able about that conversation so he let the new perspective shift as he watched Chris explore his living room. "You look like you've never been here," he said conversationally.

Chris gave him a sheepish smile as he said, "I, uh, haven't. I only remember you living with us at the manor."

Victor nodded, "That's right, your mom left and I moved in right? And you never met Leo?" Victor was surprised that Piper had not only left but that she had never told Leo about his second son.

"Yeah, it was Wy who played 'dad' right up until…" Chris paused. He hadn't meant to tell his family about Wyatt being the one that raised him and he REALLY didn't plan to tell anyone about his Aunts untimely deaths.

Victor noticed the pause and said, "Until when Chris?" He had thought to mention the part about Wyatt playing 'dad' but those words were rather self-explanatory. Apparently it was Wyatt that did the disciplining in the family. Made sense knowing Piper; of course she would have passed along the genes to her first born to take charge of a situation. Besides the fact that Chris said he came to his grandfather to talk things through.

Victor watched as Chris unconsciously rubbed his neck, seeming to be lost in a thought. Victor decided to push a little, "Chris, until when?"

Chris came back to the present and turned to lie to his grandfather. He was all ready to change the subject when he saw his grandpa's caring eyes and knew he needed to tell him the truth. This had been a heavy burden and he was tired of carrying it alone. "Until Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe died," he said as tears welled in his eyes.

Victor drew in a deep breath. He was going to lose another child, well, children since he considered Paige one of his own, to magic. And he knew it would be to magic that he would lose his girls. This family gave up too much for 'the greater good,' he thought sadly.

Chris went on not realizing his grandfather's inner struggle, "Demons came on Wyatt's seventeenth birthday." He looked up at his grandfather and tried to explain, "I had planned a surprise party for Wyatt but they attacked. I got you and my uncles and cousins out but I couldn't save them. I tried, I swear I tried." The tears rolled down his face. He hadn't planned a sharing session with his grandpa. He hastily wiped the tears from his cheeks as he forcefully told him, "But I did save Mom." He shook his head, "I don't know why they were there. So many different demons…"

Victor did the only thing he could think of, he pulled Chris into a hug and held him. He was sure the boy had done everything within his power to save his family. That is what this family did.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Paige and Phoebe orbed in just in time to see Piper take out the Dark Knight and most of his followers. They watched as she offered a human looking demon the chance to live and serve her.

Piper glanced over to her sisters. She heard the demon say, "I should have known it was a trap."

Piper said to her sisters, "You two were wrong. I am the rightful heir to Excalibur. You should have stayed home."

Phoebe said, "Sorry, your majesty." Then Phoebe threw a potion towards her. Piper raised the sword and destroyed the potion as Phoebe was saying, "Paige, now, orb her."

Paige orbed out just as Piper throws Excalibur at her. Paige orbed back in behind Piper and grabbed her. Piper threw Paige over her shoulders. Paige landed on the ground in front of Phoebe.

Piper held out her hand and Excalibur returned to her.

Mordaunt smiled, "Impressive, huh?" Then to the demon he said, "Now, make your queen proud."

Phoebe helped Paige up as the demon threw electricity bolts at Phoebe and Paige. Their bodies fell to the ground, leaving their spirits behind.

Paige looked at her sister, "What just happened?"

Phoebe answered, "I don't know, but I don't think it's good."

Piper, Mordaunt and the demon disappeared as Paige shouted, "Leo!"

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Piper was turning evil due to the power of the sword. She found herself in a cave standing at a round table surrounded by demons. It felt right; powerful.

She watched as Mordaunt had the demons swear a loyalty oath. Each demon placed a hand on the corner of the pentagram that was on the round table. Mordaunt spoke, the pentagram began to glow and the demons surrounding the table shook, "Supreme demonic powers leave your host and find a new home in this willing heart."

Piper shouted, "What are you doing? Stop!" She watched as the powers left the demons and they were vanquished one by one. The powers ran along the pentagram and entered Mordaunt. "You vanquished all my knights. Why?"

Suddenly Excalibur floated into Mordaunt's hand.

Mordaunt smiled sinisterly, "For filling my centuries old quest; to control Excalibur."

Piper shook her head, "But it belongs to me." She knew it did! She could feel the power singing to her!

Mordaunt calmly replied, "No, it doesn't. It never did. But thanks to you and the combined powers of your knights, now it belongs to me. I'm the ultimate power."

Piper was beginning to feel confused. The power of Excalibur had left her, "I don't understand."

Mordaunt explained, "It's simply transferred power, that's all. And now all that remains to do is to eliminate the true recipient of Excalibur before he grows old enough to fulfill his destiny as the son of a Charmed One.

Piper sucked in a deep breath, "NO!" she shouted, "You can't hurt him!"

Mordaunt raised the sword as he said, "I couldn't before, but I can with this," and he stabbed Piper with Excalibur.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Chris jumped up and said, "Something's wrong!"

Victor tried to stop him but wasn't able to. Chris had orbed out of the room and left Victor and Wyatt, not understanding what was so urgent that the boy had left without saying goodbye.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Phoebe, Paige and Leo were in the manor's conservatory. Phoebe was scrying trying to find Piper. Paige was lying on the chair.

"Ow," Paige exclaimed.

"Feeling any better?" Leo asked.

"No," Paige replied, "I'm pretty sure 'ow' signifies that I am not, in fact, feeling any better." She sat up before continuing, "I am getting tired of this whole soul separating from my body thing. It's getting to be a disturbing pattern."

"It was pretty close too," Leo informed them, "Your souls were getting ready to move on."

Paige smiled smugly, "Move on to where exactly?"

Leo returned the smile, "Nice try."

"I cannot believe, Piper," Phoebe said, "Did you see that look in her eyes?"

Paige shook her head, "The power, it was consuming her. We need to get to her fast."

Leo looked to Phoebe, "Find her yet?"

Phoebe sighed as she watched the crystal swing, "No, nothing."

"Alright," Leo said, "Keep trying. Just like last time, they can't do anything until they resurface." Suddenly Leo groaned in pain.

Paige asked, "What's the matter?"

Leo forced his reply, "It's Piper, she's hurt."

The crystal abruptly pointed to a spot on the map. Phoebe yelled, "Harding Park, let's go."

The three orb out of the manor.

Mordaunt lowered Piper to the ground of the park.

"Don't worry; it'll all be over," Mordaunt said, "Once they come for you, I'll go for him."

Phoebe, Paige and Leo orb in and Mordaunt disappeared.

"Hurry, hurry," Phoebe cried out.

Leo ran over to Piper and healed her.

Piper gasped and said, "Where are the boys?"

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Mordaunt walked up to the playpen as he held Excalibur. Just like the Elders, he had assumed that the prophecy meant that the next King Arthur would be the Twice Blessed. "My apologies, King Wyatt," Mordaunt began, "I guess it just wasn't meant to be." He stabbed the lumpy blanket bundle in the playpen. A soft squeak is heard and Mordaunt lifts the bundle up only to find it's a teddy bear wrapped in a blanket. "What!" he screeched.

Chris steps into the room and said, "Oh, and that was Wy's favorite teddy bear."

Piper, Phoebe and Leo orb in. Piper cried out, "Chris!"

Paige ignored her sister; knowing Chris had a plan and she said to Mordaunt, "Bet you didn't expect this when you got up this morning."

Mordaunt didn't look deterred, "But I've still got Excalibur."

Chris smiled a dark smile and said coldly, "Not for long." He raised his hand and orbed Excalibur away from Mordaunt. It orbed back in and hovered in front of Chris for a moment before Chris pointed the sword towards Mordaunt and suddenly Excalibur flew across the room stabbing him. Mordaunt exploded and the sword dropped to the floor.

"Chris," Piper began hesitantly, "How did you know?"

Chris held back the urge to roll his eyes, "I read the diaries too. When I felt you had been hurt I orbed back here. I saw that the sword was gone and I knew what you had done. I figured Mordaunt would assume the heir was the Twice Blessed so I waited for him to come after Wy."

Piper wanted to admonish the boy, but after what she had done, her saying going off on a plan all your own was a bad idea would be a little hypocritical. Instead she picked up the sword and put it back into the stone. She rubbed her stomach protectively and said, "Well, before you get to play with this again you have to promise me that you're gonna play lots of football and baseball and have lots of normal toys, and maybe we can get a dog." She smiled up at her son, "What do you think?"

Chris gave her a humoring smile, "Sounds like a plan, Mom," even though he would really have preferred to laugh in her face and ask, 'A dog? Really?' but he just let her believe whatever would make her happy right now.

Piper pulled him into a hug. As she let go she said to him, "Do you think you could orb this into the attic?"

"Absolutely," Chris answered. The sword and stone orbed out.

Piper suddenly said, "Away from any furniture?" just as they heard the crash from upstairs.

"Sorry," Chris said sheepishly.

Piper smiled lovingly and said, "Boys will be boys."

They all laughed.

Piper let out a contented sigh and said, "Let's go and get your brother; I am sure your grandpa wonders where you went."

Chris blushed a little at being so well known and orbed him and his mother to his grandfather's apartment. He couldn't believe what had happened today. He found out that HE was the true heir to Excalibur. The family would have never known if he hadn't come back in time to help them to understand that the heir the prophesy spoke of wasn't the Twice Blessed. He wondered what would have happened to Wyatt if he had been allowed to control the sword…

**TBC**

_**A/N: I can't help it, I never liked that Wyatt the 'Twice Blessed' was so all powerful that he was even the heir to Excalibur. So my muse made up a prophesy that of course had been incorrectly interpreted and viola, Chris is the rightful heir to the throne. And really think about, we never actually saw Wyatt pull the sword out of the stone… **_


	28. Reflections

_**A/N: This chapter has spoilers for "**__The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell" and "It's a bad bad bad bad World parts 1 and 2" taken obviously out of order as my muse dictates._

**Chapter 28**

**Reflections**

Chris was sneaking through Magic School. He knew he needed to get his dad and be back at the manor soon but he just couldn't resist slipping into Gideon's office. He had seen the man stalking off to the library and figured now would be a great time to rifle through the Elder's things. His parents would not approve of this, he was sure so he slunk into the office and shut the door behind him. He hadn't gotten very far when he heard Gideon's voice near the door. Instinct took over and he hid in a closet leaving the door slightly ajar so he could view the Elder's movements. He realized as soon as he got in the small room that he didn't have a need to hide since none of the Elders could see him but he was stuck there now because Gideon would undoubtedly notice a closet door opening by itself.

Chris decided he would just wait him out and see what he was up to. He was praying that it wouldn't take very long or he would have to explain where he had been. He was so caught up in his mental musings that he didn't notice Gideon placing a chess table against a wall that was previously hidden by a curtain. He couldn't see what was on the wall from the angle he was at. His attention was really brought forward when he heard a voice that sounded almost the same as Gideon's; the voice was somehow darker, more menacing as it said, "Knight to F3."

Chris wanted to poke his head out further to investigate this new voice. It sounded like Gideon and that was a chess move but it just didn't make sense! Why would you say a move out loud to yourself? Chris was again lost in his thoughts when he heard the softer reply from Gideon, "Interesting…" Chris watched as the man moved what appeared to be a chess piece into a different spot. Gideon rubbed his chin for a moment then looked back at the wall.

"So how is the plan coming along? Any more interference from that Christopher?" Gideon asked.

Chris was starting to panic; did Gideon know he was there? Was that question aimed at him? His heart was beating so hard he almost didn't hear the response.

"Ah that damn Chris! I wish we had been as lucky as you were to get the Charmed Ones to send our time traveler back to the future! He is interfering with everything!"

See the strange thing about that statement wasn't that Gideon appeared to be talking about another person named Chris, it was that he heard the voice but didn't see Gideon's mouth move.

This time when he heard the words spoken he saw the mouth move so he knew it was Gideon that spoke, "Yes, but I have to deal with that meddlesome Leo! If Sigmund hadn't died during the Titan attack, I could have forced Leo to go back to Elderland. I might still have been able to if that Darklighter had just done his job!"

"Ah, yes, that was a lucky strike for me." Chris watched again in wonder as he heard words but didn't see Gideon's mouth move, "I was able to move Leo with no one being the wiser."

Chris thought that it sounded like the attack from the darklighter that had moved his parents onto the ghostly plane but it evidentially worked out better for the voice from the curtain. He watched again in curiosity as Gideon spoke, "Well, we still need the plan to work if I want to get the sisters out of the way. I have Zack all riled up and ready to unleash the headless horseman. The time to implement our plan is at hand." There was a pause and silence hung heavy in the room before he saw Gideon say, "Queen to bishop six. I must get to where others can see me, same time tomorrow?"

The disembodied voice said, "Indeed… until tomorrow then."

Gideon then moved the small chess table back against the other wall and closed the curtain. He shuffled through some papers on his desk, picked up a couple of books then walked out of the room closing the door behind him.

Chris stood there for a moment before walking out of the closet. He then quickly walked over to the curtain and pulled it back. What he saw in the mirror was shocking. He looked older but Chris was sure he hadn't used the glamour spell on himself. He reached up to touch his face and watched the mirror image do the same. This alone was weird enough but then something even stranger happened. The mirror image asked, "Why do I look so young?"

Without thinking Chris answered, "Because I am."

The silence hung in the room as Chris noticed more of the differences between him and his reflection. It wasn't just age that made the difference; there was also the longer hair, darker clothes and eyebrow piercing. He looked back into his reflections eyes and heard the image say at the same time he did, "Alternate reality mirror."

The two stared at the other for a moment before Chris said, "Did Mom give you the diaries too?"

The reflection answered, "Piper? No, I never met her until I came back here."

Chris felt a kinship to this image and he said, "Yeah, ours left before I can remember her." He didn't mention that he had met his mother before he came back though. A sudden thought came to him so he asked, "Did Wy raise you too?"

The reflection smiled sheepishly as he said, "Yeah." You could tell that both of them were remembering better times before the smile dropped and the reflection said, "Yeah, he was the one that raised me until he turned," and as he said "good" our Chris was replying "evil".

They both chuckled a bit at the differences.

"So, how did you know about the diaries?" Chris asked him.

"Bianca found them she brought them to me, turned me back," the reflection informed him.

Chris wanted to know who this Bianca was but he had to know first, "Turned you back from what?"

You could see the indecision in the reflection's eyes; the desire to talk verses the need to keep quiet. Apparently the desire won out because he said, "You see when all the Charmed Ones died on Wy's birthday he kinda lost it. Suddenly he was all about peaceful resolutions and the good in everyone. I followed him for a while before Bianca found the diaries. We discovered that all of this had happened before and it would happen again. That somehow I needed to come back to fix everything. So we chose a time to save a witch from being vanquished. We hoped maybe they would trust me if I came earlier." He ran a hand through his hair as he said, "Not that it worked."

Chris's jaw dropped, "You mean… they don't know who you are?"

The reflection laughed darkly and said, "They don't know me and they don't trust me. I guess that has a little something to do with making Leo an Elder and breaking up their marriage. I have no idea how they got together on the ghostly plane but I almost wasn't conceived!"

Chris blushed and said, "Uh, yeah, I almost wasn't either." There was a slight pause before Chris began again with, "But, you broke them up? Where's Dad now?" He couldn't believe what his doppelganger was saying. More to the point he couldn't believe that almost happened to him! If his mom from the future hadn't blown his secret before he even had a chance to lie… that really could be him staring out from the mirror.

"Leo is up in Elderland," the reflection said and he ran a hand back through his long hair, "I have no idea how future me got them to trust him but I haven't had any kind of luck in that department."

Chris decided to take a chance and say, "You should tell them who you are. They will take it better than you think."

The reflection chuckled again and said, "So says the ten year old!"

"Hey! I'm fourteen!" Chris corrected indignantly.

The reflection laughed harder and then he grew serious as he said, "We need to destroy this mirror. Those two should not be able to collaborate on a plan. That will only make things harder for us trying to stop Wy from being turned."

Chris thought about that for a moment and although he would really rather discuss it with his parents he had to agree, Gideon needed to be stopped. "Okay," he said then he looked up quickly and asked, "Who is Bianca?"

The reflection gave a soft smile as he said, "She's my girlfriend, a Phoenix Witch." He paused for a moment and then added, "I'm gonna marry her when I get back."

Chris couldn't help but smile at the way he spoke. He wrote himself a mental note to look up this Phoenix Witch Bianca.

The reflection paused for a moment before he began the spell:

"A mirror to another dimension bears my face…"

Suddenly the rest of the spell came to Chris:

"Destroy the portal to this place."

The refection warped like a fun house mirror and Chris watched as his likeness gave him a final wave before the glass shattered. The small pieces flew out into gold and while lights then disappeared. Chris breathed out a sigh of relief that he didn't need to clean up broken glass. He dropped the curtain and high tailed it to his father's office wondering if he should tell his family about the conversation he just had with… himself?

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Leo walked through the special door from Magic School to the Manor and went to find his wife. He was still trying to figure out a way to explain the problem he was facing when he entered the kitchen where Piper and her sisters were sitting around the table.

One look at her husband had Piper asking, "What's wrong?"

Leo cringed; he really had hoped that he wouldn't have to come home to explain this. Magic School was supposed to be safe. Now the teachers were the ones that were in danger. "There's a problem at the school," he began. He paused again as he tried to find the right words. "Well, it all started innocently enough actually; pranks really. Setting rats loose from the Pied Piper, turning the north lawn into a gingerbread house... Kids' stuff." Leo paused once more.

At the annoyed look from Piper Leo started again, "And then... And then someone cast a spell that brought forth the darkness, and the headless horseman is roaming the campus, targeting teachers."

"Teachers?" Piper asked at the same time Phoebe asked, "The headless horseman?"

Leo just said, "Yeah."

"What do you mean, 'targeting teachers'," Piper clarified.

"There is a headless horseman that appears and has been going after the teachers. Gideon believes that somebody's trying to shut down the school by cutting off teacher's heads," at the look of horror he received from the sisters he clarified, "You can't kill anyone that is on campus grounds, but… well… their heads… we put them in a room to keep them safe." Leo decided he should get on with the problem rather than let the sisters dwell on talking heads, "Gideon said that there is no better way for evil to gain an upper hand than to fight the next generation."

Piper decided to ignore the fact that it was Gideon coming up with thoughts behind the current problem, "Isn't it as simple as finding who conjured the horseman and reversing the magic?"

Leo nodded, "Yes, it would be except that no student possesses that level of magic, at least they're not supposed to. That's why he believes that a demon from the outside has somehow corrupted one of them into doing his bidding."

Chris entered the kitchen right at that moment and said, "Or Gideon is the one behind the kid."

All eyes shot over to him.

"But why would he want the school to be shut down?" Leo asked.

"He wants the sisters busy so he can go after Wyatt," Chris explained.

Silence filled the room while that statement filtered through.

Piper was the one to break the silence as she glanced over to Chris and asked, "Where have you been? I sent you to get your dad a while ago."

Chris's eyes darted around the room. This was his chance, should he explain about the mirror or lie to his family. They wouldn't be happy to hear that he was in Gideon's office but he knew from experience that lying and being caught was much worse. He sighed, "I did go to get him… I just… saw an opportunity that I couldn't pass up."

He wanted to drop the whole subject right there. His only hope was that the family was going to be too focused on Gideon to pay too much attention to his latest exploits. He looked around the room; nope, no help there. His mother was looking at him expectantly, he sighed again, "There was a mirror in Gideon's office."

"What were you doing in Gideon's office?" Piper asked forcefully.

Chris continued as if she hadn't interjected the question, "An alternate reality mirror."

Apparently those were the correct words to use to get Piper's mind back to the matter at hand, "What do you mean alternate reality?"

"I remember the mirror being mentioned in the diary," Chris began to explain, "A parallel reality that was the polar opposite of here; with the 'us' on that side being darklighters and their Wyatt turning toward 'good.'" Chris took in the looks around the room and knew he had them hooked. "That isn't the weirdest thing either! The 'me' that was over there was in his twenties! He had never met Mom and his parents in the past didn't even know who he was.

"He said he even followed Wyatt for a while since he was the one that raised…" Chris blushed as he realized he had just shared too much information again.

Just at this moment the doorbell rang. Chris gave an audible sigh of relief; talk about being saved by the bell! Piper gave Chris a pointed look that Chris was sure meant 'this talk isn't over yet' before she said, "Go get the diary."

Chris took off toward the bedroom and retrieved the latest version of the journal.

Piper went to the door and was surprised by the visitor, "Hey, Dad, what are you doing here?"

Victor gave his own confused look as he answered, "You asked me to come over to keep an eye on Wyatt."

You could almost see the light bulb go off over Piper's head as she remembered everything. There was a reason she had Chris go and get Leo early; it was something she hadn't mentioned to anyone just yet. She had been experiencing labor contracts. They were mild still and she could still carry on as if nothing was happening but she knew she would have baby Chris soon. Today was November 16th, so she was sure that the baby would be arriving shortly. Everyone had been so busy they weren't paying attention to the fact that big Chris's birthday was coming up; but she had been keeping a close eye on the calendar. The pressure on her bladder alone was enough to remind her that time was fleeting.

She quickly schooled her features and said, "Of course I did, it's just that… well, we are having another magical emergency." She explained as she walked back to the kitchen and the rest of the family. Chris had already returned with the diary.

Leo thought he would give Chris a break and said, "So you were saying that Chris's parents didn't know who he was."

The look on Chris's face was enough to let Leo know he was grateful for the reprieve.

Just then Victor entered the kitchen.

Chris said, "Hey Grandpa," to him and then back to Piper said, "Yeah, apparently he broke them up and Dad became an Elder full time."

"What about the Piper from the future?" Leo asked him.

Chris began to explain without thinking about what he was saying, "She died on Wyatt's birthday. All of the Charmed Ones died instead of just …" Suddenly he trailed off.

Paige was the one to pick up the conversation when asked, "Instead of just who?"

Chris paled as he looked around the room then as tears welled up in his eyes he said, "I'm sorry…" And he orbed out of the kitchen.

The rest of the family looked at each other for a moment before Victor said, "In his time he saved Piper but wasn't able to save Paige or Phoebe. Apparently he orbed me, his cousins and uncles away but when he went back he was too late. Piper wasn't there so he went to find her and he vanquished all the demons that had attacked her."

The group sat in silence as they let that information sink in.

Up in the attic Chris was pacing. He needed to do something. Just sitting around talking about his past wasn't going to fix anything! He started to think out loud, "We need to stop Gideon. Gideon said he was behind the plan to bring the headless horseman. He wanted to distract the sisters so he could get Wyatt alone." He continued his monologue, "He was going to get a kid named Zack to help him with that plan." With those words he knew exactly what he needed to do. He needed to get to Zack and have him call off the headless horseman. If the sisters weren't busy with that then they could take care of Gideon. No one had to die! This time he could save them all! He orbed to the special doorway that would lead him to Magic School so he could talk with Zack.

Back downstairs in the kitchen the family was still reeling with the newfound information. Paige finally broke the silence by saying, "I guess what happened to that alternate Chris is what would have happened to our Chris if he hadn't met you."

Phoebe agreed with her sister and continued with, "Yeah, he saved Piper and she sent him here before he had a chance to follow big brother's footsteps."

Leo took Piper's hand and gave it a squeeze as he said, "And you were the one that let us know he was our son from the future. Without those things happening…" he paused and let the silence fill the rest of the sentence.

Piper was quiet. Everything had happened this way because she left her boys. As she was wallowing in pity her eyes caught sight of the diary. This shook her from her self-flagellation and she said, "Either way we need to figure out how to stop Gideon. First thing first though, we need to stop this headless horseman."

As Piper finished that sentence blue and white orbs coalesced into the form of two boys; one was Chris, the other was just about to be introduced.

Chris looked around the room at his family and decided to get the attention off of himself as soon as possible, "This is Zack, he's the one that Gideon mentioned in his office. Gideon said he had Zack all riled up and ready to unleash the headless horseman."

Zack was by no means a shy boy but to suddenly be confronted by a group of adults after he unleashed evil, well, that was a bit hard to explain. He tried to defend himself, "I'm sorry, no one was supposed to get hurt, it's just that I had to get out of there. Gideon won't let us go home, and I swear he has it out for me. He is always targeting me when anyone gets into trouble and other things…" he trailed off for a moment before continuing with, "So when he left that advanced dark magic book out, I couldn't help but look through it." He looked up at the sisters desperately, and said, "It was like the book wanted me to unleash the darkness. The book flipped to the headless horseman spell as soon as I touched it. I only meant to get the school closed down so I could get home." He looked down dejectedly as he finished his statement.

The group listened to what the boy had to say and it sounded just like what Chris had explained. Gideon had set up Zack to unleash the darkness. Piper's maternal instincts kicked in and she said, "It's going to be ok. If you can stop this headless horseman and reverse the magic, I will make sure you get home. We are going to fix this problem once and for all."

At her determined avowal Zack gave a small smile. Finally someone was listening to him. "I can do that, thank you for believing me," he replied quietly.

Chris decided to let the family in on the rest of the plan, "Now all we need to do is to have Dad let Gideon know that the sisters are going to be busy." Chris was so proud of this plan! Finally they would be able to stop that Elder and truly repair the future. "He can tell him that we are leaving Wy in the attic unprotected while the Charmed Ones and Dad fight off the headless horseman. Then I will hide behind a magical shield and when Gideon comes I can vanquish him as a threat to Wyatt!"

Chris was so excited that he didn't see the twin looks of horror on his parents' faces when he stated that he would be alone facing Gideon.

Piper boldly said, "Absolutely not!" at the same time Leo said, "No!"

Chris was shocked by their refusal, "But, this plan has to work! We will have evidence that Gideon is attacking Wyatt and the diaries already have a spell that will weaken him."

"Chris you are not going to do this alone and there is no way I am letting you vanquish an Elder!" Leo informed his son in no uncertain terms.

Piper, on the other hand, knew they had to do something quickly. The contractions were coming closer together and more painful by the minute. So she decided how to end this argument, "Both you and your dad will be up there hidden and your dad will handle Gideon." She ground her teeth together as soon as she finished the sentence to control the pain but no one noticed as Chris was still on the defensive.

"But I can handle this! It has to be me!" Chris cried out.

Leo put a reassuring hand on Chris's shoulder as he said, "No, Chris, this time it has to be me."

Chris tried to protest again, didn't they understand that this was the reason he kept coming back in time!

Leo saw the protest even before it began and he raised his hand to forestall it, "No, hear me out, Son. Your mother and I believe that this is the reason that Wyatt has always been so overprotective. Each diary talks about Wyatt's need for power to protect his family. We think it all comes down to him not having the ability to protect someone he loved. We need to show him that it isn't his responsibility to protect you, not yet at least," Leo gave him a grin.

Leo continued, "This time I will be the one to protect you both. That is the way it is supposed to be, a father is supposed to be the one to protect his sons." As he ended that sentence he gave Chris a squeeze to his shoulder.

Chris gave his father a small understanding nod.

Piper inhaled sharply but quietly and the family missed the signs again. She steadied herself and said, "Ok, go to Magic School and talk with Gideon. Take Zack with you." She then looked at Zack, "You go and work on reversing the darkness spell."

Finally she looked up to her Son and said, "Take your brother up to the attic and work on the spell to shield you and your father."

Chris smiled and said, "Yes, ma'am." He decided not to mention to his mother that Elder's had the power to cloak themselves. He had been working on that power to see if he inherited it since he saw Gideon use it. He went to get Wyatt and orbed him and his brother up to the attic.

As soon as Leo and Zack left Piper sat down heavily in the chair. Victor was the first to notice the problem, "What's wrong Piper?"

Piper looked up at her sisters and father and decided that she wouldn't be able to hide this from them any longer. "Chris is coming…" Piper said and trailed off as another labor pain hit.

Phoebe patted Piper's hand and said, "No, he's up in the attic with Wyatt."

Piper breathed through the contraction and Paige finally understood, "Oh God!" she exclaimed.

The group looked up at her. She finally put the pained looks and deep breaths together with today's date, "She means Baby Chris!"

**TBC**


	29. Never Again

**Chapter 29**

**Never Again**

Leo orbed to the attic after he spoke with Gideon. He had explained to the Elder that the sisters and he were going to go after the headless horseman. They were going to leave Wyatt home with Piper's father figuring that the baby would be most protected in the attic. He went on to explain that it was a naptime for the little boy, so he was sure that if they could contain this problem quickly that Wyatt would be safe; Victor would be able to watch downstairs to make sure that nothing came in through the front door.

Leo had been amazed to watch the glee grow in Gideon's eyes. It sickened him to witness how twisted his former mentor had become. When Leo got to the part about Wyatt being alone in the attic he could see Gideon's face light up. He sent up a silent prayer thanking whoever it was that had allowed Chris to travel back in time, over and over again, until they had finally gotten it right. And this time, Leo felt, they were going to get it right!

Leo walked over to the pack and play and smiled at the sleeping Wyatt. He reached down to run a hand through the baby's soft hair and jumped back when his hand went through the slumbering form. It wasn't his son that was lying there but a hologram of him instead! Leo's head shot up and looked around the room as he called out, "Chris?"

Leo breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard his son's laughter. Suddenly both boys appeared before him.

Chris was still laughing as he said, "Man, Dad, you shoulda seen your face when you realized that wasn't Wy!"

Leo was tempted to admonish the boy but quickly figured out that it was actually a good test. If he couldn't sense that the sleeping baby was a hologram then Gideon wouldn't be able to either.

As if reading his father's mind, Chris said, "I figured if you couldn't tell the difference then neither could Gideon. Sorry to trick you."

Leo gave him an understanding grin, "It was a good idea," he said and walked over and tousled Chris's hair. "Now show me how you hid yourself so completely that I couldn't sense you when I tried."

Chris beamed up at him. He had been practicing this particular Elder magic and was pleased to see he was already so good at it. "Ok," he began, "I do this…"

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

The three sisters were downstairs in the basement. They had already constructed wards to prevent them from being sensed by any form of magic. They had even tapped into the nexus to make sure that the spells were extra powerful.

Currently Paige and Phoebe were trying to make Piper more comfortable. They couldn't believe that she had been hiding the fact that she had gone into labor! They should have expected it, though. Of course Piper would do anything to keep her boys safe; and if she believed holding back that 'little fact' would keep them safe then that is exactly what she would do.

They left Victor on the first level of the Manor so that if Gideon tried to sense for him he would find Victor where he was expected to be. Victor kept himself busy by preparing the dining room for the impending birth. It was a good thing that he was there when Wyatt was born. He knew exactly what needed to be done.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Chris had finished explaining the how he had used the Elder magic. Leo was suitably impressed. Apparently Chris had been unaware of this power until he had returned to the past but had mastered it quickly.

Now all they had to do was wait for Gideon. They didn't have to wait for long. They had been cutting things closer than they planned. Within moments of Leo and Chris cloaking themselves and Wyatt, Gideon orbed into the Manor.

The three watched as Gideon glanced around the room, presumable sensing for Leo or the Charmed Ones. Chris held his breath while silently chanting, 'stay quiet, stay quiet, stay quiet,' and hoping his brother could somehow heed the command.

The trio watched as Gideon stood over the playpen and with a disgusted look upon his face said, "This should have never been allowed to happen. You are an abomination that needs to be destroyed for the greater good." He held out his hand and an athame appeared in it. He raised his arm into the air, intending on striking the sleeping boy when Leo had decided he had enough.

Leo uncloaked, startling Gideon with his presence. "How could you?" were the only words Leo could get out. There was a brief pause as the two Elders stared at each other before Leo broke the silence saying, "You were the one that fought for me and Piper to be able to get married!"

"It was a mistake, Leo; you've got to see that now! There is too much power for one human to handle!" Gideon boldly stated. "He should have never been allowed to exist!" This time when Gideon raised his hand he quickly brought it down, striking the hologram. Once his hand went through the 'sleeping child' Gideon stared up at Leo and shouted, "What have you done! I could have ended this all! You don't understand," Gideon's voice dropped from the yell to matter of fact, "If you had not sent Christopher back, he could have told you himself… This boy becomes EVIL!"

Leo still hadn't had the chance to interrupt. Gideon was on a roll and not about to stop, "There is a saying about power, that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely! There is no way a child with the power of a Charmed One and a Whitelighter could be anything but EVIL!"

"That's where you're wrong, Gideon. It's about choices. Power may corrupt but if you raise the child to make the right choices then the power will not corrupt him!" Leo informed him.

"You don't know what you are talking about, Leo," Gideon told him. "If he is allowed to exist then he will be evil. I have heard proof of what your union with a Charmed One creates."

"Proof from Chris?" Leo asked knowingly.

Gideon was shocked by the question but answered, "Yes."

"But he didn't say that my progeny would be evil, did he?" Leo asked.

Gideon knew that the Chris that had told the alternate universe's Charmed Ones about the turn of Wyatt was a turn to good; but he was certain that the future for their Wyatt would be a turn to evil. He responded, "Those may not have been his exact words but the turn to evil is clear." Gideon was so sure he was right; there was nothing that could change his mind now.

"I am certain that it is all about choices. What you are doing now is going to affect Wyatt for the rest of his life. It is because of you that the he feels the need to obtain power. That stops now!" Leo stated.

"You know no such thing, Leo. I have heard from Christopher myself!"

Chris had been watching this exchange. He was amazed that his father felt the need to chit chat with the man that had already attempted to kill Wyatt! Chris set the little one down so he could say the spell to weaken the Elder; unfortunately he couldn't be sure the magic would be able to get through the cloak. He would have to let go of the shield to be sure the spell worked.

"As have I," Leo said, "And I know Chris made the right choices. I know he is good!"

Again Gideon was confused by a statement made by Leo, "Of course he is good! He is a whitelighter!"

"He's also my…" Leo began but when he saw Chris uncloak he yelled out, "Wait, don't!"

Gideon turned towards the direction that Leo was looking at. Since Chris was still cloaked to all Elders except Leo due to the sisters' spell he didn't see Chris. What Gideon saw was little Wyatt standing all alone.

Gideon took Leo's momentary distraction as an opportunity to attack the little boy. Gideon ran towards Wyatt, athame in hand.

Chris was looking down at the spell to weaken the Elder but looked up quickly when he heard the stomping of feet that the running Gideon made. Chris was too late to do anything; Leo had already raised his hand and had lightning shooting from his fingertips; electrocuting the Elder before he could reach his son.

Gideon dropped to the ground and took a shallow breath in to speak his last words, "You are making a mistake… absolute power…"

Leo didn't let him finish, "No, I know it's about choices, because Chris is my son too!"

Gideon's mouth dropped open as he heard those words. You could see the knowledge filtering through the Elder before his eyes closed and he faded away.

It was over, Gideon was dead. He had died at Leo's hand while Leo was protecting an innocent little boy; a little boy that would now stay innocent… and good.

Chris beamed over at his father and said, "Thanks, Dad." Both of them knew it was over what was said, not what was just done.

Leo smiled back and said, "I didn't say anything that wasn't true…"

He may have completed his thought but one word rang through the house; one word that was as much a name as a shout for help, "Leo!"

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Piper was stumbling up the stairs screaming, "Leo!" Her father caught her arm as she reached the top of the attic steps.

Her sisters were already behind her as she breathed in again saying, "It's time."

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Leo looked over at Chris and knew that he would take care of Wyatt so he orbed down to find out what was wrong with Piper.

Chris walked over to pick up his brother. Suddenly he wasn't feeling so well. Something felt wrong; he felt 'off' somehow. He decided to walk downstairs instead of orbing.

Chris took a few steps forward and looked down as Wyatt pulled at his shirt to get his attention. Once he was watching, Wyatt wiggled his fingers dramatically and said, "Dadee… lighs, fingwers…," then the toddler looked into Chris's eyes and sadly said, "No boom."

Chris chuckled a little and replied, "No boom this time, Buddy." And they continued down the stairs.

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

Paige and Phoebe helped Piper get on the dining room table. Leo orbed in and went to stand behind Piper, supporting her.

Chris rounded the corner of the stairs and realized what was going on. This must be why he was feeling funny. He quickly took Wyatt to the sun room. Neither of them needed to be scarred for life witnessing the birth of baby Chris. Chris set Wyatt down. He tried to get his mind off what was going on in the other room. He looked at the baby and said, "It's ok, Big Brother. Now I know the future will be fine. All we gotta do is get Mom and the Aunts to send me back and…"

Chris had reached up to card his hand through Wyatt's hair but noticed his hand was transparent. "Guys," he yelled as he ran into the dining room just in time to see his mother give the last push.

Blue lights strode down from the ceiling looking almost like they came from the chandelier itself. Suddenly a wave of calm washed over him and he smiled.

Phoebe was helping to deliver the tiny baby but Paige glanced up at him, "Chris!" She shouted as she noticed he was completely transparent.

This just couldn't be happening! They had saved the future; she couldn't lose her nephew now.

The baby appeared in orbs swaddled in a blanket in Phoebe's hands but all eyes were on grown up Chris.

"No!" Piper yelled as she saw her son disappearing before her eyes.

Chris looked at her with all the love in his heart and said, "It's ok. I'm going back, I can feel it." He gestured to the new baby, "This is his time now. Don't worry; I think you will be seeing me again." His eyes went from Piper to Leo and back to Piper as he said, "I love you all…" and then he vanished.

There was silence for a beat then the room reverberated with a tiny newborn cry. Baby Christopher was making his presence known. Wyatt immediately orbed to Paige and she was barely able to catch him. He looked around the room for a moment before his eyes settled on the baby.

Phoebe stepped closer and said, "This is baby Christopher, your little brother." Wyatt stared at the baby for a moment and Phoebe could swear the newborn was looking right back at his big brother. Wyatt gave a huge smile.

Paige said, "Looks like we didn't lose Chris after all."

Victor rubbed his daughter's shoulder and said, "You did good, Honey."

Piper smiled and looked to her dad, then to Leo and finally rested her eyes on baby Chris before saying, "Welcome to a wonderful future, Christopher Victor Halliwell." She looked back into Leo's eyes and knew he agreed with the name. This Chris was never going to be Chris Perry again. This time she knew they had succeeded.

She then glanced at her father; he had tears in his eyes. Phoebe handed over the baby and Piper cooed at him saying, "Well, we had to name you after your awesome Grandpa, now didn't we?"

Leo reached out to touch the baby just as Phoebe took a family photo. Leo said, "You did it Son, thank you."

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

**November 16, 2019**

Chris stood still staring at the dining room table wondering what was going on. He was so lost in thought he didn't hear the person come up behind him and say, "Happy birthday, Peanut." He whirled around on his heel and looked straight into Piper's eyes, his mouth open in shock.

"Wow, did I scare you?" She laughed as she placed her cup of coffee down on the dining room table, "That doesn't happen very often, now does it." She was smiling as she turned back to face Chris but soon her look turned to concern.

Chris was still staring but was taking in the differences between what he just left and what he saw now. His mother looked older. She had some grey hair that framed her lovely face and a few more wrinkles that didn't take away from her beauty. He pulled her into a bear hug.

Piper hugged him back but was confused, "What's wrong, Baby?" she asked him.

He stuttered out, "It, it's just… It worked." Piper's confusion went to concern again as she let Chris go out of the hug.

She stood staring at Chris for a moment before Wyatt ran down the stairs and lightly punched his brother in the shoulder saying, "Hey, you just about ready? I want to talk with Trinity before we head to class."

Chris looked at his brother in awe, not saying anything.

Wyatt was getting his books together and said, "Come on Birthday Boy, we're going to be late for school." Wyatt looked up at the twin shocked expressions his mother and brother were wearing before his dad came down the stairs.

Leo didn't notice the tension instead saying, "Hey how's fifteen feeling, Chris?" And he patted him on the shoulder as he continued on towards the kitchen. "Make sure you look surprised tonight, you know your aunts planned this party for ages."

The third acknowledgement of Chris's birthday finally woke Piper up. She looked over to her eldest and said, "You go ahead to school. Me and Dad need to talk with Chris first."

Wyatt looked at his mom then at his brother. He wanted to stay! Something was going on. Before he got the chance to protest Piper said, "And take Mel with you."

Chris didn't acknowledge that last statement. This was all too much to take in.

Wyatt opened his mouth to object but Piper interjected again, "NOW, Wyatt Matthew!"

Wyatt snapped his mouth closed. His mother would rarely, as Chris called it, 'invoke the holy middle name'! "Yes, ma'am," he replied to Piper. He glared over at his brother and said through their telepathic bond, '_We are going to talk about this later,_' before heading up to gather his baby sister, Melinda, and heading out of the house.

Chris was still staring at the spot Wyatt had vacated. Did he just hear Wyatt's voice in his own head?

He was still staring as he felt his mother pull him back into a hug. "Oh my God, Chris; we never thought we were going to see you again," she told him.

Chris was coming out of his stupor and his sarcasm was actually a few steps ahead of him, "Oh sure, like you haven't been seeing me every day for the past fifteen years!"

Leo walked back into the dining room with a cup of coffee in his hands. He had heard the statement. He stood confused and looked to Piper and then to Chris before asking, "Chris?"

Chris gave him a wide grin and said, "Yep, the same Chris from 2004." Leo pulled him into a hug. Once Leo released him Chris said, "Sooo, what did I miss? I see my parents are still together, and Wyatt seems to be good… Did I hear the name Mel?" He paused again as he looked closely at his father. He saw the graying hair and wrinkles, he quickly blurted out, "And, uh, Dad, you're old."

Leo ignored the last comments and asked him, "What do you remember?"

Chris shook himself mentally, pressed his lips together and said, "I only remember the past, my past that is. Do you think that I will get the memories of the Chris you raised?"

Leo shrugged and said, "We don't know."

Chris dropped his shoulders at that but Piper said, "I am sure everything will come in time… We are so happy to have you back." She pulled him into another hug and whispered, "Thank you."

Chris smiled and said, "Anytime, Mom, anytime."

When she let him out of the hug Leo pulled him into one. Chris wasn't sure about any of this. He had total recall of a childhood without his parents; he could only pray this present childhood would catch up with him.

Piper suddenly said, "I have to call my sisters."

Leo let go of Chris and Chris took one step forward to stop Piper, "Why don't we just wait until…" Was all he got out before the room started spinning. He could distantly hear his parents calling for him but everything was moving and colors were brightly blurring everything from his view. He didn't know how long he was like that before the room stopped its psychedelic interpretation and came to a halt.

He looked around the room he was lying in, hmm, his bedroom. Well that was a weird dream. He looked over at his side and saw his mom was sitting next to his bed with her head down. He reached up and put his hand through her hair.

Piper jumped up and looked at him with great concern, "Chris, are you ok?"

He gave a cocky smile and said, "Yes, why are you in here?"

Leo came bounding into the room at that moment. He had heard voices. He was bringing a wet wash cloth and he dropped it as he knelt down to be closer to Chris.

Chris looked at them with confusion, "What's going on?" Did he call out to them? It was a weird dream, maybe he had scared them.

Piper brushed his hair out of his eyes and said, "What do you remember, Peanut?"

He looked from his mom to his dad and said, "I had this dream." He paused because it was really strange and vivid, but come on; his parents were completely out of character. No one spoke as they waited on Chris to continue. He again looked to Leo and then to Piper again, they were so concerned. He hadn't been sick, had he? He didn't feel sick. "Mom, you're scaring me. What happened?"

He glanced up to the alarm clock and noticed it was eleven in the morning and he exclaimed, "Man, I am so late for school. How could you let me sleep so long?"

He started to get up but Piper was in his way. He paused and said, "Mom?"

She had tears in her eyes. He looked to his dad and Leo eyes were shiny too. He thought back over to everything that had just been said and asked, "It was just a dream, wasn't it? I mean, I didn't time travel, Wyatt was never evil… You guys didn't leave us… Wyatt didn't raise me…"

Piper's tears fell as he continued. She glanced once at Leo while Chris was speaking but when he tapered off she pulled him into a hug.

Chris looked over his shoulder at the father that had always been there for him and asked, "Dad?"

Leo joined the group hug. When they all parted Leo said, "I think we have a lot to talk about. Why don't we talk downstairs?"

Piper seemed to find her voice again and said, "I can make you your birthday breakfast, you haven't eaten yet." And with that she jumped up and went down the stairs.

Chris looked up at Leo with questioning eyes and said, "You know how she is, I think we better hurry up." He smiled and helped Chris to his feet.

By the time the two joined Piper in the kitchen she was already making the blueberry pancakes. Chris sat at the table and Leo went to make himself a cup of coffee. Piper stopped working at the griddle long enough to pour Chris a glass of milk before busying herself with the pancakes again.

Chris worried as he sipped his milk. He looked over at his dad and then his mom, wondering why they were behaving so weirdly. Piper finished the pancakes and began to serve them. Finally with nothing left to do she sat and stared at Chris. Chris cut some of the food in front of him before finally pushing it away and said, "Ok, tell me what is going on. Did I say something when I was sleeping?"

Piper looked at Leo and then back to Chris as she softly said, "It wasn't a dream."

Chris gave up all pretenses of eating as he sat staring at his mother open mouthed; how could it not be a dream? "But," he started, "But I remember growing up with you and Dad and Wyatt and Mel," he explained to his mother. "And you both were there, not like in the dream… the dream was so real…"

He looked back at Leo and then to his mother and said to himself as he looked down at his plate of food, "not a dream…" He thought about that other life, a life without his parents one where his aunts died and Wyatt became so… so… then he said quietly, "I like this life much better."

Piper couldn't hold back any longer, she reached out and pulled her son into a hug saying, "We did it this time. There was no seed of evil planted so there will be no trigger. You, Wyatt and Dad saved us all. Do you remember that?"

Chris smiled as he looked up at his mother and said, "I remember everything, but this life is so much stronger. Really, the other feels more like a dream or remembering a story I was told."

Leo looked over at Chris and explained, "Apparently two things always needed to happen. You needed to come back and claim Excalibur and we needed to stop Gideon; without both those things occurring then everything would somehow repeat itself."

Chris thought about that for a moment. Two things needed to happen to stop this 'time loop'. Somehow the other Chris's didn't do both things? That seemed odd. Well, of course it was odd, but just… TWO things needed to happen. In this family you would have thought it had to be THREE things. Everything seemed to occur in three's. The three sisters each having three children. Oh! That was new. He had a baby sister! Chris grinned at that thought. His precious baby sister Melinda; the little girl Mom saw when she went to the future the first time. But something else was niggling at his mind. His little sister couldn't orb. She was just a witch…

He stopped and looked over at Leo; he remembered Leo being an Elder. He again took in the wrinkles and grey hair as he said, "Dad, your older… and here… so… not an Elder?" His eyes looked longingly at his father, hoping he was correct.

Leo smiled and patted Chris's arm, "Just like I promised. As soon as you and your brother were safe, I fell from grace." He gave the arm he was still touching a slight squeeze, "I wasn't going to miss out on your childhood."

Chris stared at his father for a moment before reaching over to hug him saying quietly, "Thanks, Dad."

Leo didn't answer but held his son tighter as his reply.

Chris leaned back from the hug, paused then asked, "What does Wyatt know?"

Leo and Piper exchanged glances and Leo said, "No more than you did yesterday."

Chris nodded and began to eat his breakfast. His mind was whirling thinking up a way to meet up with his brother though.

Chris gave a mischievous grin and said, "He will now."

Piper saw his grin and asked, "What do you mean, what are you going to tell him?" She worried now that this would hurt her son's relationship. They were closer than brothers, they were best friends.

She didn't need to worry as Chris said, "Over the bond, he will know." He paused and put his hand on his mother's arm and said, "Don't worry, Mom, we'll be fine. He knows now, I will always save him just as I know he will always take care of me."

**/ CHARMED / CHARMED / CHARMED /**

**Epilogue**

**June 2026**

Chris was standing in front of Wyatt straightening out his tie as Wyatt said, "I hate this thing."

Chris smiled and said, "I know, but you only get married once."

Wyatt smiled back.

Chris could feel the excitement and nervousness flowing over their bond and he said, "Don't sweat it man. I know she is the one for you. She was the one always meant for you." He had no idea why he just said that. Even Wyatt gave him a strange look.

He brushed the shoulder of Wyatt's jacket and said, "Come on. I need to go and seat Mom."

Both men walked to the back of the church. Chris walked up the aisle and took his mother's arm leading her to the front bench.

She whispered to Chris, "I am so proud of both of you. You both grown to be such fantastic men." Piper dropped her voice even lower so only Chris could hear her as she said, "And good witches." She smiled and paused a moment and continued with, "And now with Wyatt getting married…" She trailed off as happy tears started to build in her eyes. Chris gave her a kiss on the cheek before helping her to the pew; he gave his dad a manly half hug as he passed him then reached down and ruffled his baby sister's hair. He paused in thought for a moment thinking how little Melinda wasn't in his original timeline. So many things had changed since he vanished from the past. Whatever time loop he had been in was completely destroyed when they completed the two tasks. He gave a mental snort at his thoughts it should have been three things. Like somehow his family operated on an actual power of three!

He smiled and waved at the rest of his family. Aunt Phoebe was sitting with Uncle Coop and their daughters, Prue, Peyton and Polly. Aunt Paige with was with Uncle Henry and their kids Henry Jr and the twins Patty and Penny. Grandpa was up with Mom, Dad and Mel. He couldn't be happier to see everyone waiting for his big brother to finally say 'I do' with Trinity. Those two had been together for as long as Chris could remember, and Trinity was so good for him. Chris swore she kept Wyatt on the side of light sometimes when things got bad.

Chris winked at his own fiancée, Bianca before he walked up and stood behind his brother giving him a reassuring grin and saying over their telepathic bond, '_Relax, you're doing fine, Big Brother_.'

Wyatt could feel the calm rushing over him through their bond and he gave Chris a grateful look and sending him the thought, '_Thanks Chris… for everything'_.

The two men looked at each other for a long moment before Chris sent the thought, '_Anytime, Wy… EVERYTIME_.' Both of them knew he meant every word of it, too.

Wyatt took in a deep breath and finally felt he was ready for the next step in his life. He and Chris had finished their Bachelor's degrees; him in business and Chris in culinary arts. Now he was managing the new family restaurant, '_Charmed_', and Chris was the Top Chef.

Wyatt looked back at his baby brother and smiled, he knew that Chris was the reason that he was here now. If Chris hadn't gone back in time to save him… well, let's not go there. The bridal chorus began and everyone stood and turned to watch a beautiful young woman dressed in white walk down the aisle between her two parents.

Chris had been paying attention to his brother and his family before now but looked over to Trinity walking down the aisle. He smiled as he thought how perfect that girl was for his brother. He glanced over at her mother and his breath caught. He had never noticed before but that was Evangeline. She was the witch that he saved when he came back to stop the evil. His eyes were wide as he realized Trinity was the baby that Evangeline was carrying.

Wyatt's feelings of love that flowed over the bond completely overshadowed Chris's shock, as he listened to the "Do you Wyatt Matthew take thee Trinity Christina…"

Suddenly Chris's mind went back to the past and he remembered the vision that Aunt Phoebe had of Evangeline. She envisioned that the new baby was named after the three women and one man that had saved her. Trinity Christina…

He gave a mental shake of his head. It had been THREE things that he had to accomplish before the future could be set straight! He had to come back in time early enough to save Trinity too.

Chris looked back at his mother and wondered if she knew. The young woman he saved over twenty years ago would give birth to the daughter that would keep Wyatt good. He smiled as he realized there was a full circle being completed. Now all the pieces were finally together. This is why Wyatt would stay good. This is why the failed every time before. But if at first you don't succeed, try try again. He smiled proudly as the minister pronounced the couple Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt Halliwell. He was sure everything was going to be alright. They had finally succeeded.

**The End**

_**A/N: Thank you all for reading, this has been so much fun for me. I am so sad to see it end! I appreciate the support of my faithful reviewers, without you the muse may have stayed on vacation.**_


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